Measure words: 打, 袋, 根, 卷, 棵, 批
【四03】名量词 / measure words
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
These six measure words replace the all-purpose 个 when the noun has a clear shape or a clear way of being counted: 打 (dá) a dozen (一打啤酒), 袋 a bag or soft pack (一袋米), 根 long thin things (一根头发, 一根筷子), 卷 what is rolled up (一卷纸, 一卷壁纸), 棵 trees and plants (一棵树) and 批 a batch that arrives or acts together (一批货, 一批学生).
They go between the number (or 这 / 那 / 几 / 每) and the noun, like any measure word: 两卷纸, 这批货. 打 is read dá (“dozen”), not dǎ (“to hit”), and 一打 already means twelve; 卷 is read juǎn in 一卷纸.
Do not mix them up with 条, which mostly counts long flexible things (一条路, 一条河), or with 群 (a group of people or animals together). 批 does not mean “a lot of”: it presents a lot that is handled or delivered in one go.
Examples
我在超市买了两卷纸。
Wǒ zài chāoshì mǎi le liǎng juǎn zhǐ.I bought two rolls of paper at the supermarket.
他买了一袋米。
Tā mǎi le yí dài mǐ.He bought a bag of rice.
学校门口有一棵很大的树。
Xuéxiào ménkǒu yǒu yì kē hěn dà de shù.There is a very big tree at the school gate.
你头上有一根白头发。
Nǐ tóu shang yǒu yì gēn bái tóufa.You have a white hair on your head.
我买了一打啤酒，晚上请朋友来家里吃饭。
Wǒ mǎi le yì dá píjiǔ, wǎnshang qǐng péngyou lái jiā lǐ chīfàn.I bought a dozen beers because I'm having friends over for dinner tonight.
第一批游客已经到了，第二批下午才到。
Dì yī pī yóukè yǐjīng dào le, dì èr pī xiàwǔ cái dào.The first group of tourists has arrived; the second doesn't get here until the afternoon.
Common mistakes
✗ 一个树 / 一个筷子 → ✓ 一棵树 / 一根筷子 (trees take 棵, long thin objects take 根).
✗ 我有一批朋友 → ✓ 我有很多朋友 / 一群朋友 (批 counts a lot that arrives or acts together, not “many”).
✗ 两个打鸡蛋 → ✓ 两打鸡蛋 (打 is already the measure word and means twelve).