Collective nouns in Mandarin Chinese group things or people and often require a measure word (classifier) when counted. This guide covers common groups, useful classifiers, and example phrases.
Groups
Groups are named by a general noun or by a collective noun that highlights the type of members. Learn a few common ones for animals, people, and things.
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🌾 一捆稻草 | yī kǔn dàocǎo | a bundle of straw | |
| 🧺 一筐蔬菜 | yī kuāng shūcài | a basket of vegetables | |
| 🪶 一把羽毛 | yī bǎ yǔmáo | a handful of feathers | |
| 🦆 一群鸭子 | yī qún yāzi | a flock of ducks | |
| 🐑 一群绵羊 | yī qún miányáng | a herd of sheep |
They saw a herd moving on the mountain.
Measure Words
Measure words (classifiers) come between a number and a noun and signal the type of thing being counted. Different kinds of groups often use different classifiers.
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥛 一杯牛奶 | yī bēi niúnǎi | a cup of milk | |
| 🍰 一块蛋糕 | yī kuài dàngāo | a slice of cake | |
| 🥖 一条面包 | yī tiáo miànbāo | a loaf of bread | |
| 🥚 一打鸡蛋 | yī dǎ jīdàn | a dozen eggs | |
| 🧴 一瓶酱油 | yī píng jiàngyóu | a bottle of soy sauce |
Examples
| Hanzi Character(s) | Pinyin Word(s) | English Translation(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🧑🌾 农民们一起收割，形成了一片金色的海洋。 | Nóngmín men yīqǐ shōugē, xíngchéngle yī piàn jīnsè de hǎiyáng. | The farmers harvested together, forming a golden sea. | |
| 🧺 篮子里装满了各种新鲜的蔬果。 | Lánzi lǐ zhuāng mǎnle gè zhǒng xīnxiān de shūguǒ. | The basket was filled with all kinds of fresh produce. | |
| 🐓 鸡群在院子里欢快地奔跑。 | Jī qún zài yuànzi lǐ huānkuài de bēnpǎo. | The flock of chickens ran happily in the yard. | |
| ☕️ 我喝了一杯刚榨的果汁，感觉很清爽。 | Wǒ hēle yī bēi gāng zhà de guǒzhī, gǎnjué hěn qīngshuǎng. | I drank a cup of freshly squeezed juice and felt refreshed. | |
| 🍇 果农们把一筐筐葡萄搬上了卡车。 | Guǒnóng men bǎ yī kuāng kuāng pútáo bān shàngle kǎchē. | The fruit farmers loaded basket after basket of grapes onto the truck. |
Usage
When talking about groups, you can use a 集体 noun like qún (群) or duì (队) after a number and measure word to specify the kind of group. Without a number, you can just say the collective noun plus the general group name.
Summary
Collective nouns (jítǐ míngcí, 集体 名词) name groups, and measure words (liàngcí, 量词) signal how you count them. Learn a few common group nouns like yī qún and classifiers like zhī to talk naturally about collections of animals, people, or things.
Introduction
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025