Breakdown of xuéxiào duì zuòyè de biāozhǔn shì, měitiān zhìshǎo xiě sān gè jùzi.
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 xuéxiào duì zuòyè de biāozhǔn shì, měitiān zhìshǎo xiě sān gè jùzi.
The structure is:
- 学校对作业的标准 – topic/subject phrase: the school’s standard for homework
- 是 – linking verb “is”
- ，每天至少写三个句子 – the standard itself: to write at least three sentences every day
So you can map it directly to English:
学校对作业的标准 是 每天至少写三个句子。
The school’s standard for homework is to write at least three sentences every day.
The part 每天至少写三个句子 is a verb phrase used as a complement after 是. There is no explicit subject (“students”), but it is understood from context—this is very common in Chinese.
Here, 对 is a preposition meaning roughly “toward / regarding / in terms of / for”.
- 学校对作业的标准
literally: the school’s standard *regarding homework
smoother: the school’s standard **for homework*
So 对作业 modifies 标准, telling us what the standard is about.
You cannot simply omit 对 and keep the same structure:
- ✅ 学校对作业的标准 – correct
- ❌ 学校作业的标准 – sounds awkward (if you say this, you’d normally make it 学校的作业标准 instead)
However, you can express the same idea without 对 by changing the structure:
- 学校的作业标准是…… – the school’s homework standard is…
So: 对 isn’t absolutely required in all possible phrasings, but in the pattern 对 + Noun + 的标准, it is important because it marks what the standard concerns.
Here, 的 is the general modifier marker that links a modifying phrase to a noun.
In 对作业的标准:
- 对作业的 is a modifier phrase
- 标准 is the noun being modified
The whole thing means “the standard that is about homework” or “the standard for homework.”
It’s not possessive in the same way as English “homework’s standard” (which sounds odd in English). Instead, think:
- 对作业的标准 ≈ standard (that is) regarding homework
- 我的书 = my book (possessive)
- 对学生的要求 = requirements for students
In all of these, 的 is the particle that links the modifier (我, 对学生的) to the noun (书, 要求).
They are very close in meaning, but not identical in feel.
学校对作业的标准
- literally: the school’s standard regarding homework
- emphasizes the relation “standard → (toward) homework”
- feels slightly more formal/abstract, like policy language.
学校的作业标准
- literally: the school’s homework standard
- treats 作业标准 as a set phrase “homework standard” and just says it belongs to the school.
- a bit more compact and natural in casual speech.
In most real contexts, they can be used interchangeably:
- 学校对作业的标准是……
- 学校的作业标准是……
Both are fine and correct. The version with 对 highlights “standard with respect to homework”; the version with 的 is more like a straightforward noun phrase “homework standard.”
Here 是 is the normal linking verb “to be” connecting the topic and the explanation:
- 学校对作业的标准 (topic)
- 是 (linking verb)
- 每天至少写三个句子 (what that standard actually is)
Without 是, 学校对作业的标准，每天至少写三个句子 just sounds like two phrases placed side by side, not a full, well‑formed statement.
If you want to omit 是, you’d usually change punctuation or structure:
- 学校对作业的标准：每天至少写三个句子。
(using a colon – more like a heading + explanation style)
But in a normal sentence, 是 here is natural and recommended.
Both can be translated as “at least”, but there are nuances.
至少 – at least (no fewer than), focusing on the minimum amount needed or expected
- e.g. 你至少要写三句。 – You have to write at least three sentences.
最少 – often means the smallest amount / the fewest, sometimes also used as “at least” but more number-focused and less about requirement.
In this sentence, the school is setting a minimum requirement. That fits 至少 very well:
- 每天至少写三个句子。
Every day (you must) write at least three sentences.
Using 最少 here would be understandable, but 至少 is more idiomatic for stating rules/requirements.
Yes, you can change the order, with small differences in emphasis:
每天至少写三个句子。 (original)
- Very neutral. Emphasizes that every day, the requirement is at least three sentences.
至少每天写三个句子。
- Slightly emphasizes 至少: At the very least, (you should) write three sentences every day.
- Good if you’re contrasting with a higher number: “Ideally five, but at least three every day.”
每天写至少三个句子。
- Focuses more on how many to write each day: Every day, write at least three sentences.
- Also natural.
All three are grammatical; the original 每天至少写三个句子 is the most straightforward and rule-like.
Good observation. There are two slightly different things here:
句 as a measure word:
- 三句 literally = three sentences (measure word 句
- omitted noun, often 话 or 句子)
- e.g. 说三句 – say three sentences / three lines
- 三句 literally = three sentences (measure word 句
句子 as a full noun, with its own classifier:
- 句子 = a sentence (noun)
- The general classifier 个 works for 句子:
三个句子 – three sentences.
So:
- 三句 ≈ 三句（话/句子）, often used with verbs like 说 (say), 写 (write) in colloquial speech.
- 三个句子 is more explicit and slightly more “textbook” sounding, emphasizing full sentences as units.
In your sentence, 三个句子 is perfectly standard and clear. In everyday speech, you might also hear 每天至少写三句.
Yes, you can say:
- 每天至少写三句。
Differences:
三个句子
- Slightly more explicit and formal/neutral.
- Very typical in written or instructional language, like a rule in a handbook.
三句
- More colloquial and compact.
- Often used in conversation: “每天写三句就行。”
Meaning-wise they’re the same: write three sentences. The choice is mainly about style: full noun phrase (三个句子) vs short measure phrase (三句).
In Chinese, when the object is obvious from context or from the surrounding phrase, it is often omitted.
Here, the whole sentence is about 作业 (homework):
- 学校对作业的标准是……
So when we say:
- 每天至少写三个句子。
it’s clear that these sentences are part of the homework. Adding 作业 again would be redundant and feel heavy:
- ❌ 每天至少写三个作业句子。 (unnatural)
- ✅ 每天至少写三个句子。 (natural)
The context automatically tells you what you are writing sentences for (homework).
The subject is omitted but understood from context as the students (or whoever is expected to do the homework).
Chinese often drops subjects when they are obvious:
- （学生）每天至少写三个句子。
- （你们）每天至少写三个句子。
In English, we’d normally add the subject:
Students must write at least three sentences every day.
or You must write at least three sentences every day.
In the original Chinese, the focus is on the rule/standard, not on explicitly naming “students,” so the subject is left out.
Both are possible, but they have slightly different flavors:
标准 – “standard, criterion”
- Suggests a set standard or benchmark (level of quantity/quality) fixed by the school.
- Sounds a bit more official or abstract.
要求 – “requirement, demand, request”
- Focuses on what is required of someone (what they have to do).
- Feels more directly like an instruction.
So you can also say:
- 学校对作业的要求是，每天至少写三个句子。
The school’s requirement for homework is to write at least three sentences every day.
That version emphasizes the demand on the students a bit more than the abstract idea of a standard.
The original sentence is quite natural in writing or in a formal explanation of school policy.
A teacher speaking casually to students might say:
- 学校规定，你们每天至少写三句。
The school rules say you must write at least three sentences every day.
or simply:
- 从现在开始，每天至少写三句。
From now on, write at least three sentences every day.
So:
- 学校对作业的标准是，每天至少写三个句子。 – more formal, policy-style.
- 每天至少写三句。 – simple, direct classroom instruction.