2 · Complements after the verb
How often: cì, biàn, tàng and yíxià
complements of frequency
A number with cì, biàn or tàng after the verb says how many times; yíxià makes an action short and casual.
How many times something happens is said after the verb, like how long it lasts: 我去过两次, “I have been twice”. If the verb has 了 or 过, the number comes after that. English can put “twice” almost anywhere; in an ordinary Chinese statement it follows the verb. Only in a negative with 也 or 都 does it move to the front: 我一次也没去过, “I have never been, not once”.
Three words count actions, and each counts something different. 次 counts occasions in general. 遍 counts going through something from beginning to end — reading, listening, saying, watching: 请再说一遍, “please say it again”. 趟 counts trips there and back: 我去了一趟银行, “I made a trip to the bank”.
A thing as object normally follows the count: 我看过两次京剧. A pronoun comes before it: 我找过他两次. A place name may stand on either side. Note the tone of 一: before 次, 遍 and 趟, all fourth tones, it is said yí.
一下 after a verb does not really count anything. It makes the action short and casual and softens a request: 请等一下, “wait a moment, please”; 我看一下, “let me have a look”. It does the same job as doubling the verb (看看).
The form
| how many times | 我去过三次上海。 |
| start to finish: biàn | 请再说一遍。 |
| a trip there and back: tàng | 我得去一趟邮局。 |
| a person as object | 我见过他一次。 |
| a short, casual action | 你等一下。 |
| a question | 你去过几次？ |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
The number of times comes after the verb and any 了 or 过.
这部电影我看过两次。I have seen this film twice.
遍 counts going through something from beginning to end.
这篇课文请大家读三遍。Everyone please read this text through three times.
趟 counts trips there and back.
上个月我回了一趟老家。Last month I made a trip back to my hometown.
A thing as object usually follows the count; a pronoun comes before it.
我问了他好几次，他都不说。I asked him several times, but he wouldn't say.
一下 after a verb makes the action short and the request softer.
这个字怎么读？你帮我看一下。How do you read this character? Could you take a look for me?
A closer look
Yíxià and the doubled verb
Two forms say almost the same thing: 看一下 and 看看, “have a look”. Both make a request lighter, and both are everywhere in polite speech: 你尝一下, “have a taste”. For the past, 了 goes after the first verb: 他看了看, 他看了一下.
Do not confuse 一下 with 一下子. The longer word stands before the verb and means “all of a sudden, in one go”: 他一下子就明白了, “he understood at once”.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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the object is a place name
the count can stand before or after it.
我去过西安两次。I have been to Xi'an twice.
A place name is short and definite, so it can stand next to the verb like a pronoun or after the count like a thing.
How to spot it
- 次
- 遍
- 趟
- 一下
- 几次
Example sentences
我每个星期去两次健身房。I go to the gym twice a week.
对不起，我没听清楚，您能再说一遍吗？Sorry, I didn't catch that — could you say it again?
明天我要去一趟医院。I have to go to the hospital tomorrow.
我来介绍一下，这是我的同事。Let me introduce you — this is my colleague.
你去过北京几次？How many times have you been to Beijing?
这首歌我听了一百遍也不腻。I could listen to this song a hundred times and not get tired of it.
7 more example sentences
这个词我查了好几次词典。I have looked this word up in the dictionary several times.
你能帮我拿一下吗？Could you hold this for me for a second?
这部电影太好看了，我想再看一遍。This film is so good — I want to watch it again.
他今天给你打了三次电话。He phoned you three times today.
你去超市的时候，能顺便去一趟药店吗？When you go to the supermarket, could you pop into the chemist on the way?
我只见过她一次。I have only met her once.
我们休息一下再走吧。Let's rest a little before we go on.
Worth knowing (1)
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Cì or biàn with the same verb
看了三次 counts three occasions, which may each have ended halfway; 看了三遍 means three times all the way through. The difference shows clearly when both appear together.
这本书我借了三次，可是一遍也没看完。I have borrowed this book three times but have never read it all the way through.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English lets “twice” move around: “I have twice been to Shanghai” is possible, if formal. Chinese does not: in a statement like this the count of actions belongs after the verb, with the other complements.
Count the times after the verb: cì for occasions, biàn for start to finish, tàng for trips, yíxià for a quick go.
Your turn
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