piān

sheet

HSK 4 15 strokes
Stroke order animation for 篇

Words with this Character

Usage of

The character (piān) is a measure word used primarily to count pieces of writing such as articles, essays, diary entries, or compositions. It is not used for counting physical sheets of paper but rather the content or unit of text.

Common Collocations

  • 文章 (an article): used to refer to a single article or essay.
  • 日记 (a diary entry): a single diary entry.
  • 作文 (three compositions): multiple written assignments.

Notes

When using , the focus is on the written work as a discrete unit. It is often paired with words related to writing or text. Avoid confusing with (zhāng), which counts physical sheets or flat objects like paper or tickets.

Register and Tone

is neutral and commonly used in both spoken and written Mandarin. It is appropriate in academic, journalistic, and everyday contexts when referring to written texts.

Example Sentences

我写了一篇日记。

Wǒ xiě le yī piān rìjì.

I wrote a diary entry.

这篇文章很有意思。

Zhè piān wénzhāng hěn yǒuyìsi.

This article is very interesting.

老师布置了三篇作文作业。

Lǎoshī bùzhì le sān piān zuòwén zuòyè.

The teacher assigned three compositions as homework.