Frequency Complement: Verb + Measure of Frequency
数量补语1：动词+动量补语
Express how many times an action occurs using verbal measure words
Place the number and verbal measure word (such as 次, 遍, 下儿) directly after the verb to indicate how many times the action happens.
次 (cì) is the most common verbal measure word meaning "times." 遍 (biàn) means "from start to finish" — reading a book 一遍 means reading the whole thing once. 下儿 (xiàr) means a brief action — 看一下儿 means "take a quick look."
Lesson Targets
Podcast
Podcast: Frequency Complement: Verb + Measure of Frequency (数量补语1：动词+动量补语)
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Understanding 数量补语1：动词+动量补语
In English you say "I went once" or "read it three times." In Chinese, the frequency information goes right after the verb: 我去过一次 (I have been once), 我看了三遍 (I read it three times from start to finish). The key is choosing the right measure word. 次 is the all-purpose counter for "times" — how many occurrences of something. 遍 emphasizes completeness — doing something from beginning to end. If you say 我看了一遍这本书, you read the entire book once through. 下儿 is for quick, brief actions — it softens the verb and makes requests more casual: 请你等一下儿 (Please wait a moment). Mastering these three measure words will cover most situations you encounter.
Key Points
- 次 (cì) = "time(s)" — the general-purpose verbal measure word: 去过一次, 来过两次.
- 遍 (biàn) = "time(s) through" — emphasizes doing something completely from start to finish.
- 下儿 (xiàr) = "a bit / a moment" — for brief actions, often softens requests.
- Word order with a noun object: verb + number + measure + object: 我看了两遍这个电影 or verb + object + verb + number + measure.
- Word order with a pronoun object: verb + pronoun + number + measure: 我找了他三次.
- 一下儿 is extremely common in spoken Chinese and makes requests sound polite and casual.
- Past actions often use 了 or 过: 我去过一次中国 (I have been to China once).
In Chinese culture, 一下儿 is a social lubricant. Saying 等一下儿 (wait a moment) or 看一下儿 (take a look) softens the directness of a command and makes it feel like a small, easy favor rather than a demand.
Key Vocabulary
Example Sentences
我去过一次北京。
I have been to Beijing once.
我们休息一下儿。
Let us rest for a bit.
Brief action — softening
这本书我看了三遍。
I read this book three times (all the way through).
请你再说一遍。
Please say it again (once more from the beginning).
我找了他两次。
I looked for him twice.
Pronoun object comes before the measure
你试一下儿这件衣服。
Try on this piece of clothing.
他来过三次中国。
He has been to China three times.
老师让我们读了两遍课文。
The teacher had us read the text twice through.
Common Mistakes
The frequency complement comes after the verb, not before it. Place 一次 after 去过.
When asking someone to repeat something completely from start to finish, 遍 is more natural than 次. 次 just counts occurrences; 遍 implies the full content.
Practice Exercises
Tips & Tricks
Default to 次 when you just want to count how many times something happened.
Use 遍 when you want to emphasize completeness — reading a whole book, listening to a whole song.
一下儿 is your politeness tool — add it to almost any verb to make a request softer: 帮一下儿, 看一下儿, 等一下儿.
With pronoun objects (他, 她, 我), the pronoun comes before the measure: 找了他两次, not 找了两次他.
Homework
Write six sentences about your experiences using 次 (places you have visited, things you have done), four sentences using 遍 (books you have read, songs you have listened to completely), and four sentences using 一下儿 (polite requests).