Chinese Language Learning Program Lesson 201 -- How to use cì (次), biàn (遍), tàng (趟) in Chinese

Chinese Language Learning Program

Lesson 201 – How to use cì (次), biàn (遍), tàng (趟) in Chinese

Hello, everyone. Welcome back. This is Baixue’s Chinese Language Learning Program. Last time we learned about how to use向(xiàng),往(wǎng) and 朝(cháo) in Chinese. Today, we will learn how to use cì (次), biàn (遍), tàng (趟) in Chinese.

cì (次), biàn (遍), tàng (趟) are all the measure words that measure some motions, but they have some difference when we use them to make some sentences.

11.   Meanings:

11)   cì (次) is used to measure repeated action or actions may occur repeatedly.

wǒ gěi tā dǎ le sān cì diàn huà.

我   给  他 打 了 三   次  电     话。

(I called him 3 times.) (Do not know if he answered the phone.  Maybe yes, maybe not.)

wǒ jīn nián jiàn guò tā liǎng cì.

 我  今   年    见    过  她  两    次。

（I've seen her twice this year.）

  2)   biàn (遍) emphasizes the whole process of doing something.  In other words,  biàn (遍) describes a certain movement continuously from the beginning to the end.

zhè běn shū wǒ dú le sān biàn.

  这  本    书   我  读 了 三    遍.

(I read the book three times.) (From the beginning to the end.)

zhè shǒu gē wǒ tīng le hěn duō biàn le.

  这     首   歌  我   听  了  很     多   遍   了。

(I heard this song many times.)

  3)   tàng (趟) emphasizes the movement of coming and going.

wǒ qù le tā jiā liǎng tàng, dōu méi jiàn dào tā.

 我  去了他 家    两     趟， 都    没   见   到   他。

(I went to his house twice, but did not see him.)

méi yǒu yī diǎn tā de xiāo xī,  wǒ kàn wǒ hái shì qù běi jīng

  没   有  一   点   她 的   消  息,  我    看  我   还   是  去   北  京

yī tàng ba.

一  趟    吧。

(No any news of her, I think I’d better go to Beijing for a visit.)

  2.   Usages:

cì (次), biàn (遍), tàng (趟) can be used in the same sentence, but they may have different meanings.

1)   cì (次), biàn (遍)

zhè bù diàn yǐng wǒ kàn le sān cì.

  这  部   电     影   我    看  了  三  次。

(I watched this movie three times.)

zhè bù diàn yǐng wǒ kàn le sān biàn.

  这  部   电     影   我    看 了   三   遍。

 (I watched this movie three times.)

看了三遍emphasize that someone watched a movie three times and every time from the beginning to the end, but 看了三次 does not emphasize the watching process at all. 看了三次 only emphasize the action of watching, no matter if the movies is finished or not.

zhè bù diàn yǐng wǒ kàn le sān cì cái kàn wán yī biàn.

  这  部   电     影    我  看   了  三  次  才   看    完  一   遍。

(I watched this movie three times to finish it.)

2)   cì (次), tàng (趟)

When cì (次), tàng (趟) are used to express the numbers of actions, they have the same meaning.

jīn nián nèi, wǒ jiù qù le sān cì shàng hǎi.

今    年   内，我  就 去 了  三   次    上     海。

(This year, I went to Shanghai three times.)

jīn nián nèi, wǒ jiù qù le sān tàng shàng hǎi.

今    年   内,  我  就  去 了  三    趟       上      海。

(This year, I went to Shanghai three times.)

But if someone specially emphasizes how many times the actions happened, and the actions are verbs like go around,  tàng (趟) will be used, not cì (次). There are not too many this kind of verbs that can be used in these sentences: “lái, 来, come”,“qù, 去, go”,“pǎo, 跑, run”,“zǒu, 走, walk”,“huí, 回, return or come back”.

nǐ qù nǎ'er le?

你 去  哪 儿了？(Where did you go?)

wǒ qù le tàng chāo shì.

我  去 了   趟      超    市。(I went to the supermarket.)

wǒ jīn tiān qù le tā jiā jǐ tàng dōu méi pèng dào tā.

 我 今   天   去 了他  家几  趟     都    没     碰    到  他。

(Today, I went to his house a few times, but did not see him.)

But if the verbs do not express the movement of going around, tàng (趟) can not be used.

zhè piān wén zhāng wǒ gǎi le hǎo jǐ cì le, dōu bù mǎn yì.

 这     篇    文      章      我   改 了   好几次了，都   不    满  意。

(I revised this article several times, but still feel not good.)

   3.   cì (次), tàng (趟)

cì (次), tàng (趟) not only express the numbers of the movement, but also can be used as measure words that describe something related to the actions.

cì (次) is used for describing recurring things.

liǎng cì shǒu shù shāng le tā de yuán qì.

   两  次    手     术      伤     了她 的    元   气。

(Two operations consumed her energy.)

tàng (趟) is used for trains, bus, or plane.

zhè tàng chē kāi wǎng běi jīng.

 这    趟     车   开     往    北   京。

(This train bounds for Beijing.)

Ok, that is all for today.

xiè xiè!

 谢  谢 ! (Thanks!)

xià cì jiàn

 下 次 见!  (See you next time!)