🌀 次 cì vs 遍 biàn – What’s the Difference?

Both 次 cì and 遍 biàn mean “time(s)” — like “once, twice, three times.”

But they’re not interchangeable in most situations.

Let’s see how they differ in meaning and usage. 🧐✨

🔍  Breakdown

🔵 次 (cì) – “time” (countable instance)

• Focuses on how many times something happens

• Neutral — doesn’t care whether it’s complete

• Often used for events, activities, actions

• 看了一次电影 (watched a movie once)
• 去了两次北京 (went to Beijing twice)

🟢  遍 (biàn) – “time from beginning to end”

• Focuses on the entire process being completed

• Emphasizes completeness

• Often used with reading, watching, listening, doing exercises

• 看了一遍书 (read the book once — completely)

• 听了一遍录音 (listened to the audio once — from start to end)

💬  Easy Examples

🔵 次 (cì) – neutral count of an action

1.

我去过中国两次。

(Wǒ qùguò Zhōngguó liǎng cì)

→ I’ve been to China twice.

2.

她问了我三次。

(Tā wèn le wǒ sān cì)

→ She asked me three times.

🟢 遍 (biàn) – complete from start to finish

1.

我把这本书看了一遍。

(Wǒ bǎ zhè běn shū kàn le yí biàn)

→ I read this book once (the whole thing).

2.

请你再说一遍，好吗？

(Qǐng nǐ zài shuō yí biàn, hǎo ma?)

→ Can you say it again from the beginning?

⚠️ Common Mistakes (Watch Out!)

❌ 我听了一次这首歌。

(Wǒ tīng le yí cì zhè shǒu gē)

→ Sounds odd if you mean “from beginning to end.”

✅ 我听了一遍这首歌。

(Wǒ tīng le yí biàn zhè shǒu gē)

→ I listened to this song once, fully.

🎯  Try It Yourself!

Choose the correct word: 次 (cì) or 遍 (biàn)

1.

这首歌太好听了，我听了三 __。

(Zhè shǒu gē tài hǎotīng le, wǒ tīng le sān __.)

👉 This song is so good — I listened to it three times.

✅ Correct answer: 遍 (biàn)

📝 Talking about full listen-throughs

2. 

他昨天给我打了两 __ 电话。

(Tā zuótiān gěi wǒ dǎ le liǎng __ diànhuà.)

👉 He called me twice yesterday.

✅ Correct answer: 次 (cì)

📝 Just counting the actions (calls).

3. 

老师让我们再读一 __ 课文。

(Lǎoshī ràng wǒmen zài dú yí __ kèwén.)

👉 The teacher asked us to read the text again (from start to finish).

✅ Correct answer: 遍 (biàn)

📝 Refers to completing the full reading once.

🚀 Final Tip

• Use 次 (cì) when you just want to count how many times something happened — no extra info.

• Use 遍 (biàn) when the entire action matters — beginning to end, no skipping!

Try making two sentences:

• One with: I read the book three times. 📘

• One with: I went to the shop three times. 🛒

Just one word can flip your meaning — don’t miss the rest of the series! 👉 check them out here! 😄📘