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Supermarket Measures


roddy

1695 views

Now I know you've all been looking forward to this supermarket advert, recently featured on seat backs on the 113 bus during the month of June. Unfortunately the promotions advertised have now ended, so don't go rushing down to Carrefour demanding your goodies - but no need to be disappointed, we're going to have just as much fun as cheap toilet paper right here:

1) How many measure words can you find

2) Match each measure word up to a noun. Or object. Or something. You know what I mean.

3) You need to buy ballast for your hot air balloon. Which is cheaper, yogurt or toilet paper.

Anyone who can think of better questions can add them in the comments.

14 Comments


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fanglu

Posted

I have some questions:

What does 提 mean? In the context of 22.90元/提 for toilet paper.

Also, what is 积5(etc)分?

roddy

Posted

I had to snip the top of the advert off, otherwise you could probable tell what the 积分 is - it's points accumulated on a store loyalty card.

The other question I'll leave for someone else . . .

889

Posted

"What does 提 mean? In the context of 22.90元/提 for toilet paper."

You'll probably get it if you think of

提包 tibao.

As an aside, are there any other objects that use

ti as a measure word?

I don't recall having seen or heard it used as one before.

(Thanks for the Spoiler Button; thankfully we don't have to remember a

measure word

for it in English.)

roddy

Posted

I've also seen beer sold in 提s - ie the cardboard boxes of six with a handle. Ooooh, was that a spoiler?

889

Posted

I don't know, but I was thinking that those huge sacks of rice and detergent with the handles might also use it.

roddy

Posted

Could be, but I suspect (really is only a suspicion) is that to be a 提, there needs to be some kind of identifiable . . subproduct in the packaging. If you see what I mean.

jbradfor

Posted

You have a hot air balloon? SWEET.

yogurt: Yuan 9.70 per 800 g => 12.125 yuan/kg

oil: Yuan 38.80 per 5 liters => yuan 38.80 / 4600 g (assuming soybean oil density of 0.92 from here=) > 8.4 yuan/kg

So the oil is cheaper.

roddy

Posted

I was asking about toilet paper though, not oil.

jbradfor

Posted

Toilet paper???? Who uses toilet paper as ballast??? Around here, we only use soybean oil. I guess it must be a China thing.

Very well

yogurt: Yuan 9.70 per 800 g => 12.125 yuan/kg

toilet paper: Yuan 22.90 per 1450 g => 15.8 yuan/kg

See. I told you to use oil.

jbradfor

Posted

Some questions.

What does 安全生態蛋 mean? I assume the 安全 means somehow guaranteed to be safe to eat, and 蛋 means egg, but what about 生態?

What is the unit after the 元 for the oil? I can't quite make it out.

Does 3層卷 refer to what we call "3-ply" toilet paper? What is the 風 doing there?

  • Like 1
roddy

Posted

I need to accept some culpability as photographer and cropper here.

生态, or ecologic(al) can sometimes be used where we might use organic / environmentally friendly.

The oil is sold in a 桶. Not very clear.

Yes, on 3-ply. The 风 is part of the brand name 清风 - which I cropped part of.

  • Like 1
jbradfor

Posted

I'll do the measure words.

As I count them, I see 7 measure words. 9 if you count units. And maybe a 10th.

Yogurt: 杯 for a cup, 组 for a bunch of cups

Eggs: 枚 for a single egg (????), 盘 for a "plate" (flat, carton) of them

Toilet paper: 卷 for a roll, 提 for a "carry-able unit". [Note: for those of us in the USA, using 提 is a bit weird. The toilet paper here does not come with any sort of handle, as the expectation is that you place the package into the cart, then after paying directly into the car. We noticed in Hong Kong, and I assume this is true in China as well, that many of these bulky items have a handle built-in, apparently with the expectation that you will need to carry them farther. Not sure what it's like in Europe.]

Soybean oil: 桶 for a "bucket". [Note that 瓶 is not used, as we would in English; in Chinese, would 瓶 be used for smaller bottles?]

The two units: 克 for gram, 升 for liter.

The questionable 10th: for the yogurt, is "連杯" considered to be a measure word, as in "linked cups"?

  • Like 1
roddy

Posted

Eggs: 枚 for a single egg (????), 盘 for a "plate" (flat, carton) of them

Yeah, 枚 did stand out a little - 个 would be more normal. You've misread 盘 I'm afraid, it's 盒。

Good work!

jbradfor

Posted

You've misread 盘 I'm afraid, it's 盒。

DOH! Must be the bad quality photograph :P

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