jiàn
item; [measure word for items of clothing]
这件衣服很漂亮。
Zhè jiàn yīfú hěn piàoliang.
This dress is very beautiful.
我有一件新衣服。
Wǒ yǒu yī jiàn xīn yīfú.
I have a new dress.
这件事很难办。
Zhè jiàn shì hěn nán bàn.
This matter is difficult to handle.
个 (gè)
piece
事 (shì)
matter
多 (duō)
many
少 (shǎo)
few
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The Chinese character 件 (jiàn) is composed of two parts: 糸 (mì) and 见 (jiàn). 糸 originally meant "silk thread" and later came to be used as a phonetic component in characters related to clothing and textiles. 见, on the other hand, means "to see" or "to meet". When combined, these two components create the character 件, which originally meant "a piece of cloth" or "a garment". Over time, the meaning of 件 expanded to include other objects and concepts, such as "an item", "a matter", or "an affair". In modern Chinese, 件 is commonly used as a measure word for objects that are counted in units, such as "一件衣服" (yī jiàn yīfú, "one piece of clothing") or "十件行李" (shí jiàn xínglǐ, "ten pieces of luggage").
