Where English just says "times" for everything — "I've been there twice," "I read it three times," "I popped over once" — Chinese counts actions with a small family of verbal measure words (动量词): 次, 遍, 趟, 下. They work like the noun measure words you already know (张, 本, 个), except they attach to a verb and go after it, right alongside the duration complement. Picking the right one — and placing it correctly around the object — is what this page drills.
The four core verbal measure words
Each of these counts a slightly different flavour of "time," and choosing well is a quick way to sound native rather than translated.
| Measure word | Counts | Typical use | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 次 (cì) | occurrences (generic "times") | any repeatable action | 去过两次 (been twice) |
| 遍 (biàn) | full run-throughs, start to finish | reading, watching, copying | 看了三遍 (watched through 3×) |
| 趟 (tàng) | round trips | going and coming back | 来过一趟 (made one trip here) |
| 下 (xià) | brief / quick goes | light, short actions | 说了一下 (mentioned briefly) |
这部电影我看了两遍，还想再看一遍。
zhè bù diànyǐng wǒ kàn le liǎng biàn, hái xiǎng zài kàn yí biàn
I've watched this film twice through and want to see it once more. (informal) — 遍 for the whole film, start to end.
我去过一次北京，那是去年夏天。
wǒ qù guò yí cì Běijīng, nà shì qùnián xiàtiān
I've been to Beijing once, that was last summer. (neutral) — 次 tallies the occurrence.
我上个月回了一趟老家。
wǒ shàng ge yuè huí le yí tàng lǎojiā
I made a trip back to my hometown last month. (informal) — 趟 for the there-and-back journey.
你等我一下，我马上回来。
nǐ děng wǒ yíxià, wǒ mǎshàng huílái
Wait for me a sec, I'll be right back. (informal) — 一下 softens the action to a quick, brief go.
Beyond these four, Chinese borrows body-part and sound nouns as verbal measures for vivid one-offs: 一眼 (a glance, 看了一眼), 一声 (a cry/call, 叫了一声), 一口 (a mouthful, 咬了一口). These behave exactly like 次 in placement.
Where the count goes: noun objects vs. pronoun objects
The frequency phrase follows the verb — but where exactly depends on the object. The rule splits by weight: heavy full-noun objects sit last, light pronoun objects come before the count.
| Object type | Order | Example |
|---|---|---|
| No object | V + count | 去过两次 |
| Noun object | V + count + object | 看了两遍电影 |
| Pronoun object | V + pronoun + count | 看了他一眼 |
| Topicalized object | object + V + count | 那部电影看了两遍 |
我昨天给他打了三次电话，他都没接。
wǒ zuótiān gěi tā dǎ le sān cì diànhuà, tā dōu méi jiē
I called him three times yesterday and he didn't pick up once. (informal) — noun object 电话 sits after the count 三次.
她生气地看了我一眼，什么也没说。
tā shēngqì de kàn le wǒ yì yǎn, shénme yě méi shuō
She shot me an angry glance and said nothing. (neutral, slightly literary) — pronoun 我 before the count 一眼.
这个字老师念了三遍，你怎么还不会？
zhège zì lǎoshī niàn le sān biàn, nǐ zěnme hái bú huì?
The teacher read this character out three times — how do you still not know it? (informal) — topicalized 这个字, then 念了三遍.
Frequency often pairs with 过
Because counting occurrences is naturally about experience — how many times you've ever done something — the frequency complement pairs constantly with the experiential aspect marker 过. 去过三次 "have been three times," 见过一次 "met once before."
我见过他一次，可是不记得在哪儿了。
wǒ jiàn guò tā yí cì, kěshì bù jìde zài nǎr le
I've met him once, but I don't remember where. (informal) — 过 + pronoun 他 + count 一次.
Common Mistakes
1. Putting the count before the verb. A calque of "I've been there three times." The frequency phrase comes after the verb.
❌ 我三次去过北京。
Broken — the count follows the verb: 去过三次北京.
✅ 我去过三次北京。
wǒ qù guò sān cì Běijīng
I've been to Beijing three times. — count after the verb.
2. Using a noun measure word (个) instead of a verbal one. To count repetitions of an action you need 次 / 遍, not 个 — 两个电影 means two different films.
❌ 这部电影我看了两个。
Wrong — 两个 counts films as objects; to say 'watched twice' use 两遍.
✅ 这部电影我看了两遍。
zhè bù diànyǐng wǒ kàn le liǎng biàn
I've watched this film twice through. — 遍 counts the run-throughs.
3. Putting a pronoun object after the count. Pronouns come before the count.
❌ 她看了一眼我。
Broken — the pronoun 我 precedes the count: 看了我一眼.
✅ 她看了我一眼。
tā kàn le wǒ yì yǎn
She shot me a glance. — pronoun before the count.
4. Using 次 where 遍 fits the meaning better. Both are grammatical, but for something read or watched from beginning to end, 遍 is the idiomatic choice.
❌ 那本小说我从头到尾看了三次。
Marginal — for a cover-to-cover read, native speakers say 三遍, stressing completeness.
✅ 那本小说我从头到尾看了三遍。
nà běn xiǎoshuō wǒ cóngtóu-dàowěi kàn le sān biàn
I read that novel from start to finish three times. — 遍 conveys the full run-through.
Key Takeaways
- Count actions with verbal measure words after the verb: 次 (occurrences), 遍 (full run-throughs), 趟 (round trips), 下 (brief goes).
- 次 vs 遍 is the key choice: 次 just tallies, 遍 stresses cover-to-cover completeness.
- Noun objects follow the count (看了两遍电影); pronoun objects precede it (看了他一眼).
- Use 两, not 二, before a verbal measure word: 两次, 两遍.
- Frequency loves the experiential 过: 去过三次, 见过一次.
Now practice Chinese
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Start learning Chinese→Related Topics
- Duration Complements: How Long an Action LastsHSK 3 — To say how long an action lasts, Chinese puts the time-length AFTER the verb, not before: 睡了八个小时 (slept eight hours), 学了三年 (studied for three years), 等了半天 (waited ages). With an object you either insert 的 (学了三年的中文) or copy the verb (学中文学了三年).
- Verbal Measure Words OverviewHSK 2 — Just as nouns take measure words, verbs take them to count how many times an action happens — 看了三次, 说一遍, 去一趟. These 动量词 sit after the verb, before a full noun object but after a pronoun object.
- The Experiential 过 (guo): Have Ever DoneHSK 2 — 过 after a verb marks an EXPERIENCE — 'have done at least once in your life': 我去过中国 'I've been to China', 你吃过北京烤鸭吗 'have you ever eaten Beijing duck?'. It's the 'have you ever…' of Chinese, distinct from 了's specific completed event.
- Placing Frequency (How Many Times)HSK 3 — 'How many times' is a post-verb complement in Chinese, built with a verbal measure word (次 cì, 遍 biàn, 趟 tàng, 下 xià): 我看了三次 'I watched it three times', 说一遍 'say it once through'. With a noun object the count goes between verb and noun (去过三次北京); with a pronoun object it goes after the pronoun (找了他三次).