Container measures: 瓶/盒/袋/杯
Container measure words use a container as the unit for counting liquids and food, as in 一瓶水 where 个 would be wrong. At HSK 4 the four are 瓶 (bottle), 盒 (box), 袋 (bag) and 杯 (cup or glass).
In English
Container measure words use the container as the unit, so you can count liquids and food that have no fixed shape. 杯 is a cup or glass, 瓶 a bottle, 盒 a small box and 袋 a bag. The pattern is number + container + noun, such as 一杯茶 or 两瓶水.
The container word is already the measure, so do not add 个, and 的 is optional but slightly stresses the container itself.
容量量词用容器名词来计量液体、固体食品等。
四个核心容量量词：
| 量词 | 读音 | 常见搭配 |
|------|------|----------|
| 瓶 | píng | 一瓶水/啤酒/饮料 |
| 盒 | hé | 一盒饼干/巧克力/牛奶 |
| 袋 | dài | 一袋米/面粉/零食 |
| 杯 | bēi | 一杯茶/咖啡/果汁 |
结构: 数量 + 容量量词 + (的) + 名词
加 的 时更强调容器本身: 一杯的量 vs 一杯茶 (both fine, 的 slightly formal).
❌ 一个水 (个 is wrong for water)
✅ 一瓶水 / 一杯水
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 她每天早上都要喝两杯咖啡才能精神起来。 | Tā měi tiān zǎo shang dōu yào hē liǎng bēi kā fēi cái néng jīng shén qǐ lái. | She needs to drink two cups of coffee every morning to feel alert. | 杯 (cup) as container measure for coffee — a common daily-life context |
| 妈妈让我去超市买一袋大米和两瓶食用油。 | Māma ràng wǒ qù chāo shì mǎi yī dài dà mǐ hé liǎng píng shí yòng yóu. | Mom asked me to go to the supermarket and buy one bag of rice and two bottles of cooking oil. | 袋 for rice (grain in a bag); 瓶 for cooking oil (liquid in a bottle) |
| 他送给女朋友一盒巧克力，还写了一封信。 | Tā sòng gěi nǚ péng you yī hé qiǎo kè lì, hái xiě le yī fēng xìn. | He gave his girlfriend a box of chocolates and also wrote a letter. | 盒 (box) as container measure for chocolates — packaged box of goods |
Word by word
Each word in this pattern on its own: what it does here, the structure, three more examples, and the mistake to avoid.
瓶 (píng)
Counts drinks and liquids that come in a bottle.
Structure: number + 瓶 + drink
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 请给我一瓶矿泉水。 | Qǐng gěi wǒ yì píng kuàng quán shuǐ. | Please give me a bottle of mineral water. |
| 冰箱里还有两瓶牛奶。 | Bīng xiāng lǐ hái yǒu liǎng píng niú nǎi. | There are still two bottles of milk in the fridge. |
| 他一个人喝了三瓶啤酒。 | Tā yí gè rén hē le sān píng pí jiǔ. | He drank three bottles of beer by himself. |
Not: 我买了一个瓶水。 瓶 is the measure word, so there is no 个: 一瓶水.
盒 (hé)
Counts things sold in a small box, such as sweets and biscuits.
Structure: number + 盒 + noun
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我买了一盒饼干送给邻居。 | Wǒ mǎi le yì hé bǐng gān sòng gěi lín ju. | I bought a box of biscuits to give to my neighbour. |
| 桌子上放着一盒糖。 | Zhuō zi shàng fàng zhe yì hé táng. | There is a box of sweets on the table. |
| 这盒牛奶是昨天买的。 | Zhè hé niú nǎi shì zuó tiān mǎi de. | This carton of milk was bought yesterday. |
Not: 我想喝一盒水。 盒 is for things in a box. For water use 瓶 or 杯.
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 4, measure words (名量词).
袋 (dài)
Counts things that come in a bag, such as rice, flour and snacks.
Structure: number + 袋 + noun
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我买了一袋面包。 | Wǒ mǎi le yí dài miàn bāo. | I bought a bag of bread. |
| 这袋大米够我们吃一个月。 | Zhè dài dà mǐ gòu wǒ men chī yí gè yuè. | This bag of rice is enough for us for a month. |
| 他带了两袋零食去旅行。 | Tā dài le liǎng dài líng shí qù lǚ xíng. | He took two bags of snacks on the trip. |
Not: 我买了一个袋面包。 袋 is the measure word, so do not add 个: 一袋面包.
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 4, measure words (名量词).
杯 (bēi)
Counts drinks served in a cup or glass.
Structure: number + 杯 + drink
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 睡觉以前，我喝了一杯热牛奶。 | Shuì jiào yǐ qián, wǒ hē le yì bēi rè niú nǎi. | Before bed I drank a cup of hot milk. |
| 请再给我来一杯茶。 | Qǐng zài gěi wǒ lái yì bēi chá. | Please bring me another cup of tea. |
| 我们一人一杯果汁吧。 | Wǒ men yì rén yì bēi guǒ zhī ba. | Let us each have a glass of juice. |
Not: 我要咖啡一杯。 The number and measure word come before the noun: 一杯咖啡.
杯 is also explained in: Number-Measure Phrases (HSK 1).
Questions about Container measures
What does 容量量词 (Container measures) mean in Chinese?
Container measure words use a container as the unit for counting liquids and food, as in 一瓶水 where 个 would be wrong. At HSK 4 the four are 瓶 (bottle), 盒 (box), 袋 (bag) and 杯 (cup or glass). It is an HSK 4 grammar point.
How do you use 容量量词 (Container measures) in a sentence?
她每天早上都要喝两杯咖啡才能精神起来。 — Tā měi tiān zǎo shang dōu yào hē liǎng bēi kā fēi cái néng jīng shén qǐ lái. — She needs to drink two cups of coffee every morning to feel alert. 杯 (cup) as container measure for coffee — a common daily-life context.
Where does 容量量词 (Container measures) come in the HSK sequence?
HSK 4, and none of its prerequisites are grammar points — nothing else on this reference has to come first, so you can start here.
Do I put 的 between the container and the noun?
You can leave it out: 一杯茶 is the normal form. With 的, as in 一杯的茶, the speaker thinks of the amount the cup holds, and this is less common.
Container measures is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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