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tǒng
桶
🪣Essential
HSK 4

📘 Intermediate — key word for HSK 3-4

Meaning

Classifier for bucket/barrel-sized containers and their contents.

🏮 Cultural Story

中文 Chinese

"桶"是"杯"的大哥。"一杯水"够喝一口，"一桶水"够洗一脸。"桶"用于大容量的容器：水桶、油桶、 paint bucket（油漆桶）。KFC的"全家桶"是这个量词最成功的商业应用——一大桶炸鸡+薯条，够一家人分享。有趣的是，"桶"在俚语中还可以表示"大量"："一桶金"（一大笔钱）源自 POT OF GOLD 的翻译。环保主义者可能会说"一桶污水"——这时候"桶"就不那么可爱了。

English

**桶 (tǒng)** is 杯's big brother. "A cup of water" = one sip; "a bucket of water" = face-wash amount. 桶 for large containers: water buckets, oil drums, paint pails. KFC's "family bucket" = most successful commercial application — enough fried chicken + fries for the whole family. Slang: "a bucket of gold" = fortune (from "pot of gold"). Environmentalist: "a bucket of sewage" — not so cute then.

🎯 桶 = bucket/barrel. Big brother of 杯. KFC family bucket!

💡 Memory Tip

Bucket-sized containers. KFC bucket, water bucket, oil barrel.

Examples

一桶水
yī tǒng shuǐ
a bucket of water
一桶油
yī tǒng yóu
a barrel of oil
两桶方便面
liǎng tǒng fāng biàn miàn
two buckets of instant noodles (family pack)

Common Nouns Used With

水shuǐwater
油yóuoil
面miànnoodles
爆米花bào mǐ huāpopcorn
炸鸡zhá jīfried chicken (bucket)

Related Measure Words

滴 dī杯 bēi

Video Examples

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Reverso Context

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🪣HSK 4
桶
tǒng

Classifier for bucket/barrel-sized containers and their contents.

一桶水
yī tǒng shuǐ
a bucket of water
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chinesemeasurewords.com