Lesson 27
Although it’s tempting to learn how to say every type of fruit and vegetable you can think of in one go, “别想一口吃成胖子” (Bié xiǎng yīkǒu chī chéng pàngzi) –“Don’t expect to become fat in one bite.” This Chinese saying means that success cannot be accomplished instantly or in one big effort, you’ve got to take it step by step. Just like eating every type of fruit and vegetable on one day will not instantly make you healthy, language learning requires gradual progress too.
New measure words
As usual, I have included measure words so that you can learn them along with the new vocabulary. A lot of websites and even textbooks skip this step which leads to learners to form the habit of “个” (ge) for everything.
| 串 | chuàn | measure word used for items that are strung together or a bunch |
| 根 | gēn | measure word used for long, slender objects or items that have a central axis. |
| 颗 | kē | measure word often used for small, round, and generally solid objects, like many fruits. |
| 粒 | lì | measure word used for small, round, and generally solid objects or granular items. |
| 朵 | duǒ | measure word used for flowers or flower-like objects. |
| 瓣 | bàn | measure word often used for petal-like or segmented objects. |
Fruits
| Word (词语） | Pinyin （拼音） | English (英语） | Measure word (量词） |
| 苹果 | píngguǒ | apple | 个；颗 |
| 葡萄 | pútao | grape | 串 |
| 香蕉 | xiāngjiāo | banana | 根；串 |
| 橙子 | chéngzi | orange | 个；颗 |
| 柠檬 | níngméng | lemon | 颗 |
| 橘子 | júzi | tangerine | 个；颗 |
| 草莓 | cǎoméi | strawberry | 只 |
| 蓝莓 | lánméi | blueberry | 粒 |
| 芒果 | mángguǒ | mango | 个 |
| 西瓜 | xīguā | watermelon | 个 |
| 菠萝 | bōluó | pineapple | 个 |
Vegetables
| Word (词语） | Pinyin (拼音） | English (英语） | Measure word (量词） |
| 西兰花 | xīlánhuā | broccoli | 朵 |
| 卷心菜 | juǎnxīncài | cabbage | 颗 |
| 白菜 | báicài | Chinese cabbage | 条 |
| 胡萝卜 | húluóbo | carrot | 根 |
| 生菜 | shēngcài | lettuce | 颗 |
| 黄瓜 | huángguā | cucumber | 根 |
| 茄子 | qiézi | eggplant | 个 |
| 西红柿 | xīhóngshì | tomato | 个 |
| 蘑菇 | mógu | mushrooms | 朵 |
| 土豆 | tǔdòu | potato | 个 |
| 辣椒 | làjiāo | pepper | 个 |
| 洋葱 | yángcōng | onion | 个 |
| 大蒜 | dàsuàn | garlic | 瓣 |
Weight measurements
| 克 | kè | gram (g) |
| 公克 | gōngkè | kilogram (kg) |
| 两 | liǎng | 50 grams |
| 斤 | jīn | 10 liang, 500g or ½ kg |
Notes
In mainland China, 斤 (jīn) and 两 (liǎng) are units of weight commonly used for measuring food items like fruit and vegetables. In some contexts, metric units may also be used alongside or instead of 斤 and 两. Here’s a brief explanation of each:
斤 (jīn)
斤 is equal to 500 grams or half a kilogram. We usually use it in the context of heavier items.
For example, if you want to buy 2 斤半 of tangerines, you are purchasing 1250g (1.25kg) of tangerines. You may recall when you learnt time that 半 (bàn) means “half”. So, you could say:
“我想买2公斤半橘子。”
(wǒ xiǎng mǎi 2 gōngjīn bàn júzi.)
两 (liǎng)
两 is not only used to mean “two” but is a Chinese weight measurement that equals to 50 grams. We typically use it for lighter items or smaller quantities.
For instance, if you buy 5 两 of tomatoes, you are purchasing 250 grams of tomatoes. As you saw before, you could also ask for 半斤 (half jin). You could say:
“请给我5两西红柿。”
(qǐng gěi wǒ 5 liǎng xīhóngshì.)
“请给我半斤西红柿。”
(qǐng gěi wǒ bàn jīn xīhóngshì.)
Put it into practice
Answer these simple multiple-choice questions to help solidify the new words you’ve learnt.
What you’ve learnt
You‘ve just learnt to say some common fruits and vegetables in Chinese and about the weight measurements used in China. Combine what you’ve just learnt with what you’ve learnt before in a new dialogue in the next lesson.
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