Chinese word

片

Pronunciation

Pinyinpiàn

Meaning

  • measure wordslice

Example

我只要一片披萨。wǒ zhǐ yào yí piàn pī sà

I only want one slice of pizza.

Illustration for 片 (slice)

More examples

他吃了一片面包。tā chī le yí piàn miàn bāo

He ate a slice of bread.

Core concept

A single flat section marked off from something larger, whether the larger setting is an object, a stretch of land, or a span of time.

Common phrases

  • 吃一片面包chī yí piàn miàn bāo

    eat a slice of bread

  • 吃一片蛋糕chī yí piàn dàn gāo

    eat a slice of cake

Similar words

块kuài: Counts one solid piece with clear thickness, bulk, or volume.
张zhāng: Counts a flat item with a broad surface, such as paper, a photograph, or a table.

Definition in Chinese

本义指薄而扁的一片，既可作名词指一块或一片，也可作量词用于薄片状物品，并在引申中表示一段、一区域或短暂时间。běn yì zhǐ báo ér biǎn de yí piàn jì kě zuò míng cí zhǐ yí kuài huò yí piàn yě kě zuò liàng cí yòng yú báo piàn zhuàng wù pǐn bìng zài yǐn shēn zhōng biǎo shì yí duàn yì qū yù huò duǎn zàn shí jiān

Word origin

片 (piàn, "slice") comes from an ancient picture of split wood, and its idea of one separated part developed into the modern sense of a thin, flat piece.

Usage tips

  • The word can serve as both a noun and a measure word: its position after a number and before a noun signals counting, while its use alone names the portion.

Other meanings

  • sheetmeasure word

Word lists with this word