Topics · Primary Chinese · Collocation (词语搭配)
词语搭配: words that go together
Some Chinese words only pair with certain others. 一本书 but 一只猫; 提高水平 but 增加人数. There is no rule to work it out from — these are learnt as pairs, and the paper tests whether you have.
- 183 exam papers analysed
- appears in 88% of P4 Chinese papers
- ~2 min read
01 Measure words: the pair everyone meets first
Chinese does not say one book. It says 一本书 — one, plus a measure word, plus the noun. Which measure word depends on the noun, and it has to be learnt with the noun.
个 is the general one and works for many nouns, but a paper testing measure words is testing whether you know the specific one.
| 量词 | Used for | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 本 | bound things | 一本书, 一本词典 |
| 只 | most animals, one of a pair | 一只猫, 一只手 |
| 条 | long thin things | 一条鱼, 一条路, 一条裤子 |
| 张 | flat things | 一张纸, 一张桌子, 一张床 |
| 位 | people, politely | 一位老师, 一位客人 |
| 把 | things with a handle | 一把伞, 一把椅子 |
02 Verbs and their objects
The second kind of collocation pairs a verb with the noun it acts on. Several verbs mean to raise or to increase, and each takes different nouns.
| Verb | Goes with | Not with |
|---|---|---|
| 提高 | 水平, 成绩, 效率 — a level or a standard | 人数 |
| 增加 | 人数, 收入, 数量 — an amount | 水平 |
| 改善 | 环境, 生活, 关系 — a condition | 成绩 |
| 实现 | 梦想, 目标, 愿望 — something aimed at | 水平 |
| 养成 | 习惯 — a habit, and little else | 兴趣 |
03 How the question is asked
Matching. Two columns, join each word on the left to the one on the right. Do the ones you are sure of first — every pair placed narrows the rest.
Filling. A gap before a noun, and you supply the measure word or the verb.
Choosing. Four options, one of which pairs with the noun given.
Cross out as you go in a matching question. The commonest error is using one option twice and leaving another unused.
04 Learning them
Learn the pair, never the word alone. Writing 书 in a vocabulary list teaches you nothing about 本; writing 一本书 does.
Group by measure word, not by noun. Everything that takes 条 is long and thin — fish, roads, trousers, rivers. The group is easier to hold than the items.
Say it aloud. These are the pairs that sound wrong when wrong, and hearing that is faster than remembering the rule.
Watch 个 as a fallback. It rescues you in speech but is usually the wrong answer in a question about measure words.
05 How to say them
These are words most children have never said out loud, and a word you cannot say is a word you avoid using. The respelling is Hanyu Pinyin, with the tone marked over the vowel. Tap the speaker to hear it.
- 词语搭配saycí yǔ dā pèi
Collocation — which words are used together, such as a measure word with its noun.
- 量词sayliàng cí
A measure word, used between a number and a noun: 一本书, 一只猫.
- 动词saydòng cí
A verb. Which nouns it can take is part of what has to be learnt.
- 宾语saybīn yǔ
The object — the noun a verb acts on. 提高 and 增加 take different ones.
- 固定搭配saygù dìng dā pèi
A fixed pairing, learnt as a unit rather than worked out.
06 What each level is tested on
The same topic, asked differently as it goes up. The percentage is the share of papers at that level in which it appears.
- P2
Measure words for everyday nouns, and simple verb-and-object pairs.
Practise P2 Chinese Collocation (词语搭配) — 8 questions →38% of P2 Chinese papers
- P3
More measure words, and verbs whose objects have to be learnt with them.
Practise P3 Chinese Collocation (词语搭配) — 10 questions → Practise P3 Higher Chinese Collocation (词语搭配) — 8 questions →74% of P3 Chinese papers
82% of P3 Higher Chinese papers
- P4
Adjective-and-noun pairs, and matching questions with more options than answers.
Practise P4 Chinese Collocation (词语搭配) — 10 questions → Practise P4 Higher Chinese Collocation (词语搭配) — 8 questions →88% of P4 Chinese papers
75% of P4 Higher Chinese papers
07 Mistakes worth knowing about
Each of these is wrong. Decide why before you open it.
“一个书.”
书 takes 本: 一本书. 个 works for many nouns but is the wrong answer whenever the question is about measure words.
“一个老师.”
位 for a person spoken of politely: 一位老师. This is tested nearly every year.
“增加水平.”
水平 goes with 提高. 增加 is for amounts — 增加人数.
“I learnt the words on their own.”
Learn the pair. 书 on its own tells you nothing about 本; 一本书 does.
“I used one option twice in the matching question.”
Cross each out as you use it. Using one twice means another is left unused and both are wrong.
Now try it
28 questions across 3 levels, marked as you go with the working shown.