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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing 'paper' with 纸 (zhǐ)

    Existence & Possession
    Numbers & Quantity

    Structure

    纸

    Explanation

    纸 (zhǐ) means "paper" and is one of the most common everyday nouns in Chinese. Paper is famously one of the Four Great Inventions of ancient China, and the word appears in many compounds like 纸张 (sheets of paper) and 报纸 (newspaper). As a material noun, 纸 typically requires a measure word such as 张 when counted.

    Examples

    • 请给我一张纸，我要写个东西。

      Qǐng gěi wǒ yì zhāng zhǐ, wǒ yào xiě ge dōngxi.

      Please give me a piece of paper — I need to write something down.

    • 这本书是用环保纸印的。

      Zhè běn shū shì yòng huánbǎo zhǐ yìn de.

      This book is printed on eco-friendly paper.

    • 桌子上有一张纸，上面写着电话号码。

      Zhuōzi shàng yǒu yì zhāng zhǐ, shàngmiàn xiě zhe diànhuà hàomǎ.

      There's a piece of paper on the table with a phone number written on it.

    Often Confused With

    Expressing 'paper' with 纸 (zhǐ) | Chinese Grammar