The Chinese word 半 (bàn) means "half." That's simple enough, but what
can get slightly tricky is the rules for how it combines with [measure
words](measure_word "wikilink").
Basic Usage
-----------
### Used Alone
#### Structure
You'll need to use a [measure word](measure_word "wikilink") (Measure
Word) in this structure.
半 + Measure Word + Noun
#### Examples
The [measure words](measure_word "wikilink") are also indicated below.
- 半 个 小时
bàn gè
xiǎoshíhalf an hour
- 半 个 月 bàn
gè yuèhalf a
month
- 半 碗 米饭
bàn wǎn
mǐfànhalf a bowl of rice
- 半 瓶 酒 bàn
píng jiǔhalf a bottle of
liquor
- 半 份 炒面
bàn fèn
chǎomiànhalf a serving of chow
mein
### With a Number
When it's more than just a half, then 半 (bàn) comes after the [measure
word](measure_word "wikilink") instead of before. It's the difference
between "half an hour" and "an hour and a half."
- 半 个 小时
bàn gè
xiǎoshíhalf an hour
- 一 个 半 小时 yī
gè bàn
xiǎoshían hour and a half
The order is actually basically the same as what we do in English (we
just don't have so many pesky measure words to keep track of in
English!).
#### Structure
Number + Measure Word + 半 + Noun
#### Examples
- 三 个 半 小时 sān
gè bàn
xiǎoshíthree and a half hours
- 两 个 半 月 liǎng
gè bàn yuètwo
and a half months
- 一 斤 半 水果 One "jin"
= 500gyī jīn
bàn shuǐguǒ one and a half jin
of fruit
- 一 瓶 半 白酒 yī
píng bàn báijiǔ
one and a half bottles of wine
- 四块 半 巧克力 sì
kuài bàn qiǎokèlì
four and a half pieces of
chocolate
Notable Exceptions
------------------
There are some words that act as their own measure words, notably the
time words 天 (tiān), meaning "day," and 年 (nián), meaning "year."
### Used Alone
#### Structure
半 + 天 / 年
#### Examples
- 半 天 bàn
tiānhalf a day
- 半 年 bàn
niánhalf a year
Note that you do *not* need to use 个 (gè) here; in fact, it's *wrong*
to do so:
- 半 个 天 bàn
gè tiānhalf a day
- 半 个 年 bàn
gè niánhalf a
year
### With a Number
天 (tiān) and 年 (nián) aren't the *only* words that take this alternate
pattern, but they're the two key ones you need to learn first.
#### Structure
Number + 天 / 年 + 半
#### Examples
- 两 天 半 liǎng
tiān bàntwo and
a half days
- 一 年 半 yī
nián bàna year
and a half
- 三 天 半 sān
tiān bànthree
and a half days
- 四 年 半 sì
nián bànfour
and a half years
See also
--------
- [Structure of times](Structure_of_times "wikilink")
[Category:A2 grammar points](Category:A2_grammar_points "wikilink")