Chinese word

本

Pronunciation

Pinyinběn

Meaning

  • measure wordvolume

Example

我昨天看了两本书。wǒ zuó tiān kàn le liáng běn shū

I read two books yesterday.

Illustration for 本 (volume)

More examples

我想买三本书。wǒ xiǎng mǎi sān běn shū

I want to buy three books.

Core concept

Each separate book volume is one countable piece.

Common phrases

  • 一本书yì běn shū

    one book

  • 两本书liáng běn shū

    two books

  • 这本书zhè běn shū

    this book

  • 那本书nà běn shū

    that book

Similar words

个gè: Counts people or things with a broad, general measure.
册cè: Counts book volumes, especially in formal or written contexts.
张zhāng: Counts thin, flat objects such as paper, pictures, and photographs.

Definition in Chinese

用于计算书籍或成套出版物的册数，常与数词连用，如'三本书'或'两本杂志'。yòng yú jì suàn shū jí huò chéng tào chū bǎn wù de cè shù cháng yǔ shù cí lián yòng rú sān běn shū huò liáng běn zá zhì

Word origin

The character 本 (běn, "root") grew from the idea of a tree's base to the idea of something basic, including a written work and one book volume.

Usage tips

  • English places no separate counting word between "two" and "books", but Chinese places 本 (běn, "book-counting measure word") between the number and the book noun.

Related words

Word lists with this word