Nouns borrowed as measure words: 一碗汤, 一脸水, 一屋子人, 打一针
【四04】借用量词 / measure words
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
A noun that holds, covers or fills something can serve as the measure word for what it holds: 一碗汤 (a bowl of soup), 一脸水 (a face dripping with water), 一手油 (hands covered in grease), 一屋子人 (a room full of people), 一桌子菜 (a table covered in dishes). No 个 goes between the number and this word.
With 脸, 手, 屋子 and 桌子, the phrase often means “all over, full of”: 一屋子人 is a room filled with people, not a head count. Compare 一张脸 (a face, a thing you count) and 一脸水 (a face covered in water), or 一个碗 (a bowl, the object) and 一碗汤 (what is in it).
To count actions, the tool counts the blows: 切两刀 (two cuts with a knife), 打一针 (to give an injection). The phrase follows the verb. Register: spoken and vivid, very common in conversation.
Examples
他喝了一碗汤。
Tā hē le yì wǎn tāng.He had a bowl of soup.
他刚洗完脸，一脸水就跑出来了。
Tā gāng xǐ wán liǎn, yì liǎn shuǐ jiù pǎo chūlái le.He had just washed his face and ran out with water dripping all over it.
他刚修完车，一手油。
Tā gāng xiū wán chē, yì shǒu yóu.He has just fixed the car, and his hands are covered in grease.
过年的时候，我家里来了一屋子客人。
Guònián de shíhou, wǒ jiā lǐ lái le yì wūzi kèrén.At New Year our home was full of guests.
妈妈做了一桌子菜，请大家来吃饭。
Māma zuò le yì zhuōzi cài, qǐng dàjiā lái chīfàn.Mum cooked a whole table of dishes and invited everyone to eat.
医生说你得打一针，再吃两天药就好了。
Yīshēng shuō nǐ děi dǎ yì zhēn, zài chī liǎng tiān yào jiù hǎo le.The doctor says you need an injection and two more days of medicine, and then you'll be fine.
Common mistakes
✗ 一个碗汤 → ✓ 一碗汤 (碗, 脸, 屋子… are already the measure word: no 个 between the number and them).
✗ 他有一脸很大 → ✓ 他的脸很大 (一脸 + noun means “a face covered in…”, not “one face”; for the face itself, 一张脸).
✗ 切了两个刀 → ✓ 切了两刀 (刀 counts the cuts, with no 个).