Breakdown of zhè kuài dàngāo kànqǐlái hěn tián, nǐ yígè rén chī de wán ma?
Used when counting nouns or when specifying a specific instance of a noun.
There are also classifiers for people, for bound items such as books and magazines, for cups/glasses, etc.
The classifier 个 is a general one that can be used for any of these.
Questions & Answers about zhè kuài dàngāo kànqǐlái hěn tián, nǐ yígè rén chī de wán ma?
块 is a common measure word for things that come in chunks, pieces, or blocks, such as:
- 一块蛋糕 – a piece of cake
- 一块肉 – a piece of meat
- 一块石头 – a rock / a piece of stone
You can say 这个蛋糕, but it usually refers to the whole cake as one object: “this cake” (the entire cake).
这块蛋糕 focuses on a piece of cake. In everyday speech, 一块蛋糕 is the standard way to say “a piece of cake.”
看起来 literally means “from looking, it appears that…” and is close to “looks” / “seems” based on visual impression.
Structure:
- X 看起来 很 Adj → “X looks/appears very Adj”
In this sentence:
- 这块蛋糕看起来很甜 – “This piece of cake looks (like it is) very sweet.”
You usually do not put an object right after 看起来; instead you follow it with an adjective phrase or a descriptive phrase:
- 他看起来很累。 – He looks (seems) very tired.
- 这个城市看起来很干净。 – This city looks very clean.
In modern spoken Mandarin, 很 often works as a “link” between the subject and an adjective, not always as a strong “very.”
- 这块蛋糕很甜。 – This piece of cake is sweet.
- 这块蛋糕看起来很甜。 – This piece of cake looks sweet.
Without 很, the sentence can sound abrupt or like a comparison (especially in simple Noun + Adj sentences). So:
- 看起来很甜 is natural and neutral.
- 看起来甜 is possible but sounds a bit clipped or marked; you might see it in specific contexts (poetic, contrastive, or casual emphatic speech).
You can think of 很 here as something like “is” linking to an adjective, often not as strong as “very.”
得 here introduces a complement that describes the result or possibility of the action.
Pattern:
- Verb + 得 + Result complement → “to be able to Verb to that result”
- Verb + 不 + Result complement → “to not be able to Verb to that result”
In this sentence:
- 吃得完 – “be able to eat (it) to the point of being finished” → “can finish eating it”
- 吃不完 – “not be able to eat (it) to the point of being finished” → “cannot finish it”
So:
- 你一个人吃得完吗？ – “Can you finish it by yourself?”
- Answer: 吃得完。 – I can finish it.
- Or: 吃不完。 – I can’t finish it.
- 吃完 = to finish eating (a completed action, result actually achieved)
- 吃得完 / 吃不完 = can / cannot finish eating (possibility/ability)
Examples:
- 我吃完了。 – I (have) finished eating. (It’s already done.)
- 我吃得完。 – I am able to finish it. (Talking about capability/possibility.)
- 我吃不完。 – I can’t finish it.
In the question 你一个人吃得完吗？, the speaker is asking about whether it is possible for you, alone, to finish the cake, not saying you already finished it.
你一个人 forms a unit meaning “you alone / you by yourself.” The word order is:
Subject (你一个人) + Verb (吃) + 得完 + 吗
Chinese word order here is:
- 你一个人 – “you (by yourself)”
- 吃得完 – “can finish eating”
Putting 一个人 after the verb would change the meaning or become ungrammatical.
Compare:
- 你一个人去吗？ – Are you going alone?
- 你一个人能吃完吗？ – Can you finish it by yourself?
个 is the most common measure word (classifier) in Mandarin, used with many nouns, including 人 (person).
- 一个人 – one person (standard, very common)
一人 does exist, but:
- it’s more formal, written, or used in set phrases:
- 每人一份 – each person one portion
- 两人一组 – two people per group
In everyday spoken Chinese, you would almost always say 一个人 for “one person” or “alone.”
In this context, 一个人 means “by yourself / alone.”
- 你一个人吃得完吗？ – “Can you finish it by yourself?”
This is a common use:
- 我一个人住。 – I live alone.
- 她一个人去吗？ – Is she going alone?
So 一个人 can mean both:
- literally one person (counting), and
- alone / by oneself, depending on context.
Chinese often omits objects when they are obvious from context.
The full version would be:
- 你一个人吃得完这块蛋糕吗？
Since 这块蛋糕 was just mentioned in the first clause, it can be left out in the second clause to avoid repetition:
- 这块蛋糕看起来很甜，你一个人吃得完吗？
Listeners naturally understand that 吃得完 refers to 这块蛋糕. Context fills in the missing object.
吗 is a question particle used at the end of a statement to turn it into a yes–no question.
- Statement: 你一个人吃得完。 – You can finish it by yourself.
- Question: 你一个人吃得完吗？ – Can you finish it by yourself?
So the pattern is:
- [Declarative sentence] + 吗？ → a yes–no question.
Possible answers:
- 吃得完。 – Yes, I can.
- 吃不完。 – No, I can’t.
The character 一 has tone-sandhi (tone change) rules:
- Before a 4th tone syllable, 一 changes to 2nd tone (yí).
- Before a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd tone, it usually becomes 4th tone (yì) in connected speech.
- When said in isolation or emphasized as the number itself, it’s 1st tone (yī).
In 一个人:
- 个 is 4th tone (gè), so 一 changes from yī to yí.
Thus it’s pronounced yí gè rén, even though the dictionary form of 一 is yī.
看起来, 看上去, and 好像 all relate to appearances but have slightly different flavors:
看起来
- Very common, neutral.
- Pattern: X 看起来 很 Adj
- 这块蛋糕看起来很甜。
看上去
- Very similar to 看起来, often interchangeable in this type of sentence.
- 这块蛋糕看上去很甜。
好像
- Means “seems / appears to be / as if”, not limited to visual impression.
- Often used like: X 好像 很 Adj
- 这块蛋糕好像很甜。 – It seems (from various clues) that this cake is sweet.
In everyday conversation, using 看起来 in this sentence is completely natural and standard.