本běnclassifier for books, periodicals, files etc
本 (běn) means "classifier for books, periodicals, files etc," as in 我买了一本书 (I bought a book), 这本书很好 (This book is very good) and 我有三本书 (I have three books). Each of these examples shows the word with 书, the Chinese word for a book.
What does 本 mean?
- 1.
classifier for books, periodicals, files etcmeasure word
What does the character 本 mean?
- 本classifier for books, periodicals, files etc
How do you use 本?
See it in 我买了一本书, 这本书很好 and 我有三本书.
What are some examples of 本 in a sentence?
How is 本 used in a conversation?
- Speaker A:
你买了什么?
Nǐ mǎi le shénme?
What did you buy?
- Speaker B:
我买了一本书。
Wǒ mǎi le yì běn shū.
I bought a book.
- Speaker A:
这本书好看吗?
Zhè běn shū hǎokàn ma?
Is this book good?
- Speaker B:
这本书很好。
Zhè běn shū hěn hǎo.
This book is very good.
Can you use 本 correctly?
0 of 3 answeredWhat should you learn next?
- Free HSK 3 level testSee which HSK 3.0 level your vocabulary matches.
- HSK 1 word listEvery word at this level, with examples.
- HSK 3.0 guideHow the nine levels and three bands work.
Related words
- 基本jī běnbasicHSK 4
- 本来běn láioriginally; at firstHSK 4
- 个gè(classifier used before a noun that has no specific classifier)HSK 1
- 元yuáncurrency unit (esp. Chinese yuan)HSK 1
- 分fēnminute (unit of time)HSK 1
- 分钟fēn zhōngminuteHSK 1
Browse every entry in the Chinese word dictionary.
English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.