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HSK 2

次

time (occurrence); measure word for occasions

measure wordneutral
次
cì4th tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
cì
Part of speech
measure word
Level
HSK 2
Strokes
6
Register
neutral

Stroke order for 次

次 is written with 6 strokes. The animation replays automatically.

What does 次 mean?

次 (cì) is the measure word for OCCURRENCES of an action — the equivalent of English 'time' as in 'three times.'

Pattern: NUMBER + 次 + (VERB or after VERB) — 三次 ('three times'), 我去过两次 ('I've been twice'), 再来一次 ('do it one more time'). 次 sits AFTER the verb, not before: 我吃了三次药 ('I took the medicine three times'), not 我三次吃药. It also forms common time expressions: 第一次 ('the first time'), 上次 ('last time'), 下次 ('next time'), 这次 ('this time'), 每次 ('every time'). Two contrasts English speakers should know.

First, 次 counts repeatable, completed actions — for ongoing duration, use a time-length expression instead (两个小时 'two hours'). Second, 次 is the general measure word for occurrences, but 遍 (biàn) emphasizes 'going through from start to finish' (再说一遍 'say it again, fully'). 次 is the more common, neutral choice. Outside of counting, 次 can mean 'order / sequence' in compound words like 次序 ('order') or 'second-rate' in 次品 ('defective product'), but the HSK 2 sense is the measure word.

Example sentences

这是我第一次来北京。

Zhè shì wǒ dì-yī cì lái Běijīng.

This is my first time in Beijing.

neutral

我去过日本三次。

Wǒ qù guo Rìběn sān cì.

I've been to Japan three times.

neutral

下次我请你吃饭。

Xià cì wǒ qǐng nǐ chīfàn.

Next time I'll treat you to dinner.

spoken

请再说一次。

Qǐng zài shuō yí cì.

Please say it one more time.

spoken, polite

我每次都坐地铁。

Wǒ měi cì dōu zuò dìtiě.

I take the subway every time.

neutral

Common phrases with 次

第一次dì-yī cìthe first time
上次shàng cìlast time
下次xià cìnext time
每次měi cìevery time
再来一次zài lái yí cìdo it one more time

Synonyms

遍biàn

遍 emphasizes 'one full pass from start to finish' — common with reading, listening, watching: 看一遍 ('watch through once'), 再说一遍 ('say it again, in full'). 次 just counts occurrences without that 'whole thing' nuance. 看了三次电影 ('saw the movie three times') vs 看了三遍电影 ('watched it through three full times').

回huí

回 is a more casual, spoken alternative to 次, especially in northern Chinese: 去过两回 ('been twice'). Slightly more colloquial. 次 is the safe, universal default.

Don't confuse 次 with

时间shíjiān

时间 means 'time' as in duration / when (有时间 'have time'). 次 means 'time' as in occurrence (三次 'three times'). English uses one word for both; Chinese splits them clearly.

时shí

时 is 'time / hour' (小时 'hour,' 时候 'moment'). 次 counts occurrences. Don't say 三时 to mean 'three times' — that says 'three o'clock-ish' and is wrong anyway.

遍biàn

遍 counts complete passes; 次 counts occurrences. With reading or listening, the choice signals whether you mean 'all the way through' (遍) or just 'on N occasions' (次).

FAQ

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