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A2 · Grammar reference · ASGAC1P9

Expressing "half" with "ban"

The Chinese word 半 (bàn) means "half." That's simple enough, but what can get slightly tricky is the rules for how it combines with measure words.

Structure

半 + Measure Word + Noun

Number + Measure Word + 半 + Noun

半 + 天 / 年

Number + 天 / 年 + 半

Keywords
Used for
Expressing quantity
Classification
HSK3

Examples (17)

半个小时

半个月

半碗米饭

半瓶酒

半份炒面

一个半小时

三个半小时

两个半月

一斤半水果

一瓶半白酒

四块半巧克力

半天

半年

两天半

一年半

三天半

四年半

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Full explanation at AllSet Learning

Summary, structure, classification, and adapted sentence examples draw from the AllSet Learning Chinese Grammar Wiki under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; changes were made. This noncommercial reference is based on an October 2023 snapshot.

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