Word: 个 (gè, gě)

你要多少个苹果？

Nǐ yào duōshǎo gè píngguǒ?

How many apples do you want?

你要离开日本真是个遗憾。

Nǐ yào líkāi Rìběn zhēnshi gè yíhàn.

It's a pity that you should leave Japan.

你觉得我是个酷哥吗？

Nǐ juéde wǒ shì gè kù gē ma?

Do you think of me as a cool guy?

你觉得明天会有个好天气吗？

Nǐ juéde míngtiān huì yǒu gè hǎo tiānqì ma?

Do you think we'll have good weather tomorrow?

你该选择个安全的密码。

Nǐ gāi xuǎnzé gè ānquán de mìmǎ.

You should choose a strong password!

你足智多谋，快想个办法！

Nǐ zúzhìduōmóu, kuài xiǎng gè bànfǎ!

You're so resourceful, come up with a solution quickly!

你这样做不是个路子。

Nǐ zhèyàng zuò bú shì gè lùzi.

This isn't the way to go about it.

你需要个假期。

Nǐ xūyào gè jiàqī.

You need a vacation.

你需要换个环境。

Nǐ xūyào huàn gè huánjìng.

You need a change of scenery.

做个赢家很好。

Zuò gè yíngjiā hěn hǎo.

It is good to be a winner.

做出这个结论花了我们三个小时。

Zuòchū zhège jiélùn huāle wǒmen sān gè xiǎoshí.

We spent three hours to come to this conclusion.

八个人也抬不走一个理字

bā gè rén yě tái bù zǒu yí gè lǐ zì

even eight men can't carry off the single word 'reason'

八个麻雀抬轿，担不起

bā gè máquè táijiào, dānbùqǐ

Eight sparrows carrying a sedan chair: can't bear it

八是个吉利的数字。

Bā shì gè Jílì de shùzì.

Eight is a lucky number.

公司初期只有五个人。

Gōngsī chūqī zhǐyǒu wǔ gè rén.

In the beginning period, the company had only five people.

公司正在招聘三个新岗位。

Gōngsī zhèngzài zhāopìn sān gè xīn gǎngwèi.

The company is hiring for three new positions.

公鸡头上一块肉，大小是个冠

gōngjī tóushàng yíkuài ròu, dàxiǎo shì gè guàn

the lump of flesh on a rooster's head: big or small, it's a crown

六个指头搔痒，多来了一道

liù ge zhǐtou sāoyǎng, duō láile yídào

scratching an itch with six fingers: one extra scratch mark

养儿不读书,只当喂个猪

yǎngr bù dúshū,zhǐdāng wèi gè zhū

raise a son who doesn't study, and it's just like feeding a pig

再给我举个例子。

Zài gěi wǒ jǔ gè lìzi.

Show me another example.

凡事有个先来后到

fánshì yǒu ge xiānláihòudào

in everything there's who came first and who came later

别忘了带个相机。

Bié wàngle dài gè xiàngjī.

Don't forget to take a camera with you.

别理他，他就是个小人。

Biélǐ tā, tā jiùshì gè xiǎorén.

Ignore him, he's just a nasty person.

到了之后，打个电话给我。

Dàole zhīhòu, dǎ gè diànhuà gěi wǒ.

Phone me once you've arrived.

到办公室以前，我需要打个电话。

Dào bàngōngshì yǐqián, wǒ xūyào dǎ gè diànhuà.

Before I get to the office, I need to make a phone call.

前门有个人来找你。

Qiánmén yǒu gè rén lái zhǎo nǐ.

There is a man / a woman / someone to see you at the door.

前面有个坡，请慢点开。

Qiánmiàn yǒu gè pō, qǐng màn diǎn kāi.

There's a slope ahead, so please drive slowly.

前面有个岔，我们该走哪条路？

Qiánmiàn yǒu gè chà, wǒmen gāi zǒu nǎ tiáo lù?

There's a fork in the road ahead. Which way should we go?

办个证要盖十个章，太官僚了！

Bàn gè zhèng yào gài shí gè zhāng, tài guānliáo le!

It takes ten stamps to get one permit, which is so bureaucratic!

加个逗号就没有歧义了。

Jiā gè dòuhào jiù méiyǒu qíyì le.

Add a comma and the ambiguity is gone.

十个人十个性

shí gè rén shí gè xìng

ten people, ten personalities

十个嘴把式，顶不住一个手把式

shí gè zuǐ bǎshì, dǐng búzhù yí gè shǒubàshi

ten men skilled with their mouths can't match one man skilled with his hands

十个指头不一般齐

shí gè zhǐtou bù yìbān qí

ten fingers are not all the same length

十个指头咬着都疼

shí gè zhǐtou yǎozhe dōu téng

bite any of the ten fingers and it hurts

十五个吊桶打水，七上八下

shíwǔ gè diàotǒng dǎ shuǐ, qīshàngbāxià

fifteen buckets drawing water: seven going up, eight going down

千里搭长棚，没有个不散的筵席

qiānlǐ dā cháng péng, méiyǒu ge bú sàn de yánxí

a thousand-li awning, no feast that doesn't end

半成品要送去下个工厂。

Bànchéngpǐn yào sòng qù xià gè gōngchǎng.

The semi-finished products need to be sent to the next factory.

半篮子喜鹊，叫唤起来没个完

bàn lánzi xǐquè, jiàohuan qǐlai méi ge wán

half a basket of magpies: once they start calling, no end

卖了生姜买蒜吃，换个口味

màile shēngjiāng mǎi suàn chī, huàn ge kǒuwèi

sold the ginger to buy garlic: a change of taste

南极上空的臭氧层有个洞。

Nánjí shàngkōng de chòuyǎngcéng yǒu gè dòng.

There is a hole in the ozone layer above the South Pole.

博览会将举行六个月。

Bólǎnhuì jiāng jǔxíng liù gè yuè.

The exposition will be held for six months.

受了委屈，他想讨个公道。

Shòule wěiqu, tā xiǎng tǎo gè gōngdào.

Having been wronged, he wants to see justice done.

叫花子也有三个穷朋友

jiàohuāzi yě yǒu sān gè qióng péngyou

even a beggar has three poor friends

台湾有九个国家公园。

Táiwān yǒu jiǔ gè guójiā gōngyuán.

Taiwan has nine national parks.

吃好晚饭讲个故事。

Chī hǎo wǎnfàn jiǎng gè gùshi.

Tell a story after dinner.

合唱团有三十个团员。

Héchàngtuán yǒu sānshí gè tuányuán.

The choir has thirty members.

同学们给他起了个称号。

Tóngxuémen gěi tā qǐle gè chēnghào.

His classmates gave him a nickname.

同学们给他起了个绰号。

Tóngxuémen gěi tā qǐle gè chuòhào.

His classmates gave him a nickname.

同学们给老师起了个昵称。

Tóngxuémen gěi lǎoshī qǐle gè nìchēng.

The students gave their teacher a nickname.

听起来他是个好人。

Tīng qilai tā shì gè hǎo rén.

He sounds like a nice guy.

咬指甲是个坏习惯。

Yǎo zhǐjia shì gè huài xíguàn.

Biting your fingernails is a bad habit.

咱们吃个西瓜吧！

Zánmen chī gè xīguā ba!

Let's eat a watermelon!

唱戏还要有个过场

chàngxì hái yào yǒu ge guò chǎng

even an opera needs an interlude scene

嗑瓜子儿嗑出个臭虫来,什么仁儿都有

kē guāzir kē chū gè chòuchóng lái,shénme rénr dōu yǒu

cracking melon seeds and finding a bedbug: every kind of kernel (person) there is

嗑瓜子儿嗑出个臭虫来,装仁儿

kē guāzir kē chū gè chòuchóng lái,zhuāng rénr

cracking melon seeds and finding a bedbug: pretending to be a kernel (person)

嗑瓜子儿嗑出个虾米来,碰到好仁儿了

kē guāzir kē chū gè xiāmǐ lái,pèngdào hǎo rénr le

cracking melon seeds and finding a dried shrimp: met a good kernel (person)

四个人抬着一顶轿子。

Sì gè rén táizhe yì dǐng jiàozi.

Four men were carrying a litter.

围墙上有个口子，小狗钻了出去。

Wéiqiáng shàng yǒu gè kǒuzi, xiǎogǒu zuānle chūqù.

There was a gap in the wall, and the puppy squeezed through.

围墙有个缺口，狗跑出去了。

Wéiqiáng yǒu gè quēkǒu, gǒu pǎo chūqùle.

There was a gap in the wall, and the dog ran out.

土豆在南方有个别名。

Tǔdòu zài nánfāng yǒu gè biémíng.

Potatoes have another name in the south.

在学校时我学了中文是个优势。

Zài xuéxiào shí wǒ xué le Zhōngwén shì gè yōushì.

It was an advantage having learned Chinese while I was in school.

在有些地方，送钟是个禁忌。

Zài yǒuxiē dìfang, sòng zhōng shì gè jìnjì.

In some places, giving a clock as a gift is taboo.

地上有个高尔夫球。

Dìshang yǒu gè gāo'ěrfūqiú.

There is a golf ball on the ground.

地球上一共有七个大洲。

Dìqiú shàng yígòng yǒu qī gè dàzhōu.

There are seven continents on Earth in all.

坏了根的茄子苗,不成个秧子

huàile gēn de qiézi miáo,bùchéng gè yāngzi

an eggplant seedling with a ruined root: doesn't make a proper seedling (shape)

坏人设了个圈套陷害他。

Huàirén shèle gè quāntào xiànhài tā.

The bad guys set a trap to entrap him.

坐了十个小时的硬座，真是受罪！

Zuòle shí gè xiǎoshí de yìngzuò, zhēnshi shòuzuì!

Sitting in a hard seat for ten hours was a real ordeal!

多个朋友多条路，少个对头少堵墙

duōgepéngyouduōtiáolù, shǎo ge duìtóu shǎo dǔqiáng

one more friend, one more road; one fewer enemy, one fewer wall

大学的寝室里住着四个同学。

Dàxué de qǐnshì lǐ zhùzhe sì gè tóngxué.

Four classmates live in each dormitory room at the university.

大学被招收了三个中国学生。

Dàxué bèi zhāoshōule sān gè Zhōngguó xuésheng.

Three Chinese students were admitted to the college.

大家都说他是个好人。

Dàjiā dōu shuō tā shì gè hǎo rén.

Everyone says that he's a good man.

大河里撒纸钱,连个回音也没有

dàhé li sǎ zhǐqián,lián ge huíyīn yě méiyǒu

scattering paper money in a big river: not even an echo

大脑只是个复杂的机器。

Dànǎo zhǐshì gè fùzá de jīqì.

The brain is just a complicated machine.

大虾掉进油锅里，闹了个大红脸

dàxiā diào jìn yóuguō li, nàole ge dà hóngliǎn

a big prawn falls into a hot wok: ends up with a big red face

天上有个发光的物体！

Tiānshàng yǒu gè fāguāng de wùtǐ!

There's a glowing object in the sky!

她丈夫是个优秀的厨师。

Tā zhàngfu shì gè yōuxiù de chúshī.

Her husband is an excellent cook.

她不得不去工作来抚养五个孩子。

Tā bùdébú qù gōngzuò lái fǔyǎng wǔ gè háizi.

She was obliged to work to support five children.

她为了个玩具在哭。

Tā wèile gè wánjù zài kū.

She was crying for a toy.

她儿子是个天才。

Tā érzi shì gè tiāncái.

Her son is a genius.

她只是个孩子。

Tā zhǐshì gè háizi.

She is no more than a child.

她巡视四周，想找个空位。

Tā xúnshì sìzhōu, xiǎng zhǎo gè kòngwèi.

She looked around, hoping to find an empty seat.

她已经病了三个星期了。

Tā yǐjīng bìng le sān gè xīngqī le.

She has been sick for three weeks.

她想当个救死扶伤的医生。

Tā xiǎng dāng gè jiùsǐfúshāng de yīshēng.

She wants to be a doctor who saves lives and heals the wounded.

她想找个机会脱身。

Tā xiǎng zhǎo gè jīhuì tuōshēn.

She wants to find a chance to disengage.

她戴着个奇怪的帽子。

Tā dàizhe gè qíguài de màozi.

She had a strange hat on.

她捂着嘴，笑得跟个小女生似的。

Tā wǔzhe zuǐ, xiào de gēn gè xiǎo nǚshēng shìde.

She laughed the way schoolgirls do, with her hand over her mouth.

她接连问了我三个问题。

Tā jiēlián wèn le wǒ sān gè wèntí.

She asked me three questions in a row.

她是个中年胖女人。

Tā shì gè zhōng nián pàng nǚrén.

She's a middle-aged fat woman.

她是个合格的护士。

Tā shì gè hégé de hùshi.

She is qualified as a nurse.

她是个名副其实的好老师。

Tā shì gè míngfùqíshí de hǎo lǎoshī.

She is a good teacher in reality, not just in name.

她是个大菸枪。

Tā shì gè dà yān qiāng.

She smokes excessively.

她是个女人。

Tā shì gè nǚrén.

She is a woman.

她是个安静的人。

Tā shì gè ānjìng de rén.

She's a quiet person.

她是个很坦率的人。

Tā shì gè hěn tǎnshuài de rén.

She has a very open personality.

她是个很感性的人，容易哭。

Tā shì gè hěn gǎnxìng de rén, róngyì kū.

She is a very emotional person and cries easily.

她是个很无聊的人。

Tā shì gè hěn wúliáo de rén.

She is a very boring person.

她是个很有成就的人。

Tā shì gè hěn yǒu chéngjiù de rén.

She is a very successful woman. (person)

她是个很棒的女人。

Tā shì gè hěn bàng de nǚrén.

She is a wonderful woman.

她是个数学天才。

Tā shì gè shùxué tiāncái.

She was a genius in mathematics.

她是个耐心的女人。

Tā shì gè nàixīn de nǚrén.

She's a patient woman.