条

条 (tiáo) is one of the most-used Chinese measure words, used for objects that are long and thin or that flow in a line. The core categories: long thin physical objects (一条鱼 a fish, 一条蛇 a snake, 一条毛巾 a towel, 一条裤子 a pair of pants, 一条裙子 a skirt, 一条领带 a tie), linear paths (一条路 a road, 一条河 a river, 一条街 a street), and — by extension — discrete items in a list (一条短信 a text message, 一条新闻 a news item, 一条评论 a comment, 一条建议 a piece of advice).

English has no single equivalent: depending on context it maps to 'a,' 'a piece of,' 'a length of,' or 'an item.' For most clothing items 条 covers things you step into (pants, skirts) while 件 covers upper-body items (shirts, jackets).