Obs. These words are used as the auxiliary particles of that which is contained in them. But if they are construed as independent substantives they all take 隻 as their distinctive particle. Thus we find, 一隻碗, 一碗茶, ih tsáh wén, a cup; ih wén dzó‘, a cup of tea.
160. Of definite measures, the following are in common use.
| Land and Long Measure. | Dry Measure. |
| 畝 meu, 240 square pú‘. | 石 sáh, 10 teu. |
| 站 dzan‘, 90 ’lí. | 斗 ’teu, 10 sung. |
| 里 ’lí, 360 pú‘. | 升 sung, a pint. |
| 步 pú‘, five feet. | 合 keh, tenth of a pint. |
| 丈 záng‘, ten feet. | 抄 t’sau, 100th of keh. |
| 尺 t’sáh, foot (14 Eng. in. taylor’s ft., 10⅞in. carpenter’s ft.) | |
| 寸 t’sun‘, tenth of a foot. | |
| 分 fun, tenth of a t’sun‘. | |
| Weights. | |
| 担 tan‘, pecul. | 角 koh, 10 cents. |
| 斤 kiun, catty. | 分 fun, 1 cent. |
| 兩 ’liáng, tael. | 毫 háu, tenth of fun. |
| 錢 dzíen, mace. | 釐 lí, tenth of hau. |
| Measures of time. | |
| 代 dé‘, generation. | 點 ’tíen, hour (with 鐘). |
| 世 sz‘, ib. | 刻 k’uh, ¼ hour. |
| 年 níen, year. | 分 fun, minute. |
| 歲 sûe‘, ib. | 杪 miau, second. |
| 日 nyih, day. | 歇 h’ih, instant. |
Obs. 時 zz, hour, and 月 niöh, month, are here omitted, because they usually take 箇 before them. This must be to distinguish them from words similar in sound, or from their own other senses.
161. Collective auxiliary nouns varying through all the forms of plurality, from a pair to a multitude, here follow:—
- 句 kü‘, sentence of words.
- 聯 líen, pair of corresponding sentences of poetry.
- 雙 song, pair of shoes.
- 對 té‘, opposite pair of candles, geese, ih dé‘ kí, pair of fowls.
- 股 ’kú, 2 or 3 in trade; san ’ku k’é, divide between three.
- 排 pá, a pile or raft of timber, row of trees.
- 隊 té‘, a rank of soldiers, ih dé ping.
- 帖 t’ih, parcel of ten pencils, ih t’ih pih.
- 刀 tau, 100 sheets of paper, ih tau ’tsz.
- 炷 tsû, bundle of incense, ih tsû h’iáng.
- 套 t’au‘, coverful of books, ih t’au‘, sû.
- 串 t’sén chain of 1,000 cash.
- 羣 kiün, flock of birds, beasts, ih giün ’tiau.
- 副 fú‘, suit of clothes, ih fú‘ í zong.
- 行 hong, rows of birds flying, trees.
162. From the list here given, it appears that there are at least 130 of these imperfect substantives, almost all in common use. They admit of a fourfold division.
I. Of the first kind, whose office is simply indicative of appellative nouns, or distinctive to some extent of classes, there are upwards of 30. A few examples are appended.