篇 (piān) — piece of writing; article (measure word)

篇 (piān)

篇 is the measure word for complete pieces of written work: articles, essays, compositions, reports, and chapters. Use it when the writing is a whole, finished piece rather than a fragment. It is the right choice for 作文 (composition), 文章 (article), 日记 (diary entry), and 报告 (report).

Meanings

1. [mw] Piece; article — counts a complete written or composed work.
2. [mw] Essay; composition — specifically for student writing or formal texts.

Example Sentences

老师让我们写一篇作文。 Lǎoshī ràng wǒmen xiě yī piān zuòwén. The teacher asked us to write an essay.

我今天读了一篇很有意思的文章。 Wǒ jīntiān dú le yī piān hěn yǒu yìsi de wénzhāng. I read a very interesting article today.

请写一篇关于你家乡的文章。 Qǐng xiě yī piān guānyú nǐ jiāxiāng de wénzhāng. Please write a piece about your hometown.

他每天写一篇日记。 Tā měitiān xiě yī piān rìjì. He writes a diary entry every day.

Collocations

Memory Hook

篇 has the bamboo radical (竹) at the top — ancient Chinese wrote on bamboo strips, and 篇 counts one complete set of strips: one whole piece of writing.