(chǎng) - measure word for events, matches and performances; ground, venue in Mandarin
chǎngTraditional: 場
Translation
measure word for events, matches and performances; ground, venue
Word origin
Built from 土 (tǔ, earth) with 昜 as the phonetic element, originally a flat patch of levelled ground where crops were threshed or people gathered.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 土 (tǔ, earth) + 昜 (yáng, phonetic)
Stroke order
场
Examples
。
We watched a film yesterday.
雨。
There was a heavy shower of rain last night.
。
That was a wonderful match.
篮。
They played a game of basketball.
。
Her very first performance was a success.
场 (chǎng) is the measure word for things that happen in one bounded stretch on a patch of ground: 一场比赛 (yī chǎng bǐ sài) a match, 一场电影 (yī chǎng diàn yǐng) a film screening, 一场雨 (yī chǎng yǔ) a spell of rain, 一场病 (yī chǎng bìng) a bout of illness.
The same character also builds venue words, where it means the ground itself: 机场 (jī chǎng) airport, 市场 (shì chǎng) market, 广场 (guǎng chǎng) square, 停车场 (tíng chē chǎng) car park.
The trap is choosing between 场 (chǎng) and 次 (cì). 次 (cì) counts occurrences in the abstract, so 我去过三次 (wǒ qù guò sān cì) means I have been three times. 场 (chǎng) counts the event as a staged occasion with a beginning and an end, so a football match is 一场 (yī chǎng), not 一次 (yī cì). Note too that 场 has a second reading, cháng, used for a threshing floor in rural speech; the everyday reading is the third tone one.
Where this fits
Used in
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场: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "场" (measure word for events, matches and performances; ground, venue): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 43.