本 (běn): Chinese measure word
How to use 本 (běn), the Chinese measure word for books and bound volumes: example nouns with pinyin, sentences and common mistakes.
Last updated 2026-10-30
本
běn
books and bound volumes
What it's used for
本 counts books and other bound things: magazines, notebooks, dictionaries, photo albums. It comes from the meaning “root” or “origin”, later “a volume”.
Common nouns with 本
- 一本书 yì běn shū book
- 一本本子 yì běn běn zi book
- 一本课本 yì běn kè běn textbook
- 一本笔记 yì běn bǐ jì notes
- 一本护照 yì běn hù zhào passport
- 一本小说 yì běn xiǎo shuō novel
- 一本字典 yì běn zì diǎn Chinese character dictionary (containi…
- 一本笔记本 yì běn bǐ jì běn notebook (stationery)
- 一本教材 yì běn jiào cái teaching material
- 一本杂志 yì běn zá zhì magazine
- 一本辞典 yì běn cí diǎn dictionary (variant of 词典)
- 一本诗歌 yì běn shī gē poem
- 一本账 yì běn zhàng account
- 一本图书 yì běn tú shū books (in a library or bookstore)
- 一本说明书 yì běn shuō míng shū (technical) manual
- 一本支票 yì běn zhī piào check (bank)
Example sentences
-
我昨天买了两本书。
Wǒ zuó tiān mǎi le liǎng běn shū.
I bought two books yesterday.
-
这本杂志很有意思。
Zhè běn zá zhì hěn yǒu yì si.
This magazine is very interesting.
-
请给我一本词典。
Qǐng gěi wǒ yì běn cí diǎn.
Please give me a dictionary.
Common mistake
一个书 ✗ → 一本书 ✓. A single sheet of paper is 一张纸, not 一本纸.
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