Chinese word

斤

Pronunciation

Pinyinjīn

Meaning

  • measure word500 grams

Example

我买了一斤苹果。wǒ mǎi le yì jīn píng guǒ

I bought 500 grams of apples.

Illustration for 斤 (500 grams)

More examples

苹果一斤三块钱。píng guǒ yì jīn sān kuài qián

Apples cost three yuan per 500 grams.

Core concept

A weighing label that turns a pile of everyday food into a fixed half-kilogram amount.

Common phrases

  • 一斤苹果yì jīn píng guǒ

    500 grams of apples

  • 两斤肉liǎng jīn ròu

    1 kilogram of meat

  • 每斤多少钱měi jīn duō shǎo qián

    how much per 500 grams

Similar words

公斤gōng jīn: A measure word for 1,000 grams.
克kè: A measure word for 1 gram.
两liǎng: A measure word for about 50 grams.

Definition in Chinese

中国的传统质量单位。在中国大陆一斤等于500克，常用于称量蔬果和日常交易，也常以量词形式出现在口语中。zhōng guó de chuán tǒng zhì liàng dān wèi zài zhōng guó dà lù yì jīn děng yú 500 kè cháng yòng yú chēng liáng shū guǒ hé rì cháng jiāo yì yě cháng yǐ liàng cí xíng shì chū xiàn zài kóu yǔ zhōng

Word origin

斤 (jīn, "a traditional weight unit") was first shaped like an axe and was later used for weighing, while mainland China now defines the unit as 500 grams.

Usage tips

  • When Chinese counts loose food, 斤 (jīn, "a weight unit") can follow a number directly, so it behaves like a measure word rather than an ordinary object name.

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