(shuāng) - pair; measure word for two matching items (shoes, socks, chopsticks) in Mandarin
shuāngTraditional: 雙
Translation
pair; measure word for two matching items (shoes, socks, chopsticks)
Word origin
The simplified form is two copies of 又 (yòu, 'hand'), a plain ideograph for a pair. The traditional 雙 instead stacks two 隹 (zhuī, 'short-tailed bird') over a single 又, the older 'two birds in one hand' image for a matching pair.
- Origin
- ideographic
- Root
- two hands (simplified) / two birds in one hand (traditional)
Stroke order
双
Examples
。
I bought a new pair of shoes.
。
He has a pair of big hands.
。
These socks are mine.
。
Please give me a pair of chopsticks.
。
She is wearing a pair of red shoes.
双 (shuāng) counts things that naturally come in twos: 一双鞋 (yì shuāng xié), "a pair of shoes", 一双袜子 (yì shuāng wàzi), "a pair of socks", 一双筷子 (yì shuāng kuàizi), "a pair of chopsticks". It is the go-to measure word whenever the two items are a matching set, worn or used together.
Do not reach for 双 (shuāng) when you mean one half of a pair. A single shoe is still 一只鞋 (yì zhī xié), using the measure word 只 (zhī) for one item; 双 (shuāng) only applies once you are counting the set of two.
双 (shuāng) also appears outside the measure-word slot, in words like 双手 (shuāng shǒu), "both hands", where it simply means "both" or "dual" rather than counting an object.
Where this fits
Used in
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双: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "双" (pair; measure word for two matching items (shoes, socks, chopsticks)): 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 97.