"Our dog has only one ear."
Translation:我们的狗只有一只耳朵。
10 Comments
So it looks like 只 is the mw for 耳朵 because 只 is a measure word for one thing in a pair. Cool!
648
No, it can be used on things not in pairs. It can even be used on animals, birds, things like boxes, watches, rings, other body parts like hand or foot, to name a few.
Question for you. I am still trying to understand when measure words are required. In this case 狗 did not have one and 耳朵 did. Is the measure word needed when there is a possibility of more than 1,
P.S. there is nothing wrong with your examples
- 648
Chinese is specific only when it is needed to be (certainly there are limitations). The Chinese sentence of Duo above also applies in the case where "we" have more than one dog and all of them have only one ear, i.e. "Our dogs have only one ear." It is certainly a bit odd but is nonetheless completely correct. The number of dog(s) is not mentioned and is not important as long as it is/they are our dog(s). You need a classifier when you talk about the quantity, whether you specify it, approximate it, or inquire about it.
e.g.
我们有一只狗只有一只耳朵。
One of our dogs has only one ear.
我们有几只狗只有一只耳朵。
(Cf. 我们有些狗只有一只耳朵。)
A few of our dogs have only one ear.
我们有多少只狗只有一只耳朵？
How many of our dogs have only one ear?
- 648
Lol. It is not perfect (seriously). It should be "我们只有一只只有一只耳朵的狗。" Lit. We have only one dog that has only one ear.
This is great! Right up there with this one: 你骂了你妈妈的马吗? (Did you scold your mom's horse?)
