<p>When 只 is used after 一，it is always interpreted as a measure word.
If you want to say &quot;A video for you only&quot;, it will be &quot;一段只给你的视频&quot;, or &quot;只给你的视频&quot;.</p>
<p>Also the character 只 as a measure word evolves from the action of catching a bird:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/OKOVm.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/OKOVm.png" alt="The evolution of 只" /></a> Source:<a href="http://qiyuan.chaziwang.com/etymology-14538.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://qiyuan.chaziwang.com/etymology-14538.html</a></p>
<p>Therefore it is mostly used on animals:</p>
<p>一只鸟 a bird<br />
一只狗 a dog<br />
一只老鼠 a mouse</p>
<p>or body part:</p>
<p>一只手 a hand<br />
一只脚 a foot</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-09T23:04:46.350Z
2020-11-11T00:06:56.607Z
2020-11-11T00:06:56.607Z
SpencerYD
<p>Both 只 and 支 could be measure words and sometimes can be interchangeable.</p>
<p>e.g.</p>
<p>一支戒指 一只戒指</p>
<p>兩支光纖模組 兩只光纖模組(Optic module for network device)</p>
<p>From my experience, 只 is commonly used in formal documents, such as contract, quotation, etc.</p>
<p>For objects which is long and straight, you can only use 支 instead of 只.</p>
<p>e.g.</p>
<p>O) 後院有<strong>支</strong>很長的竹竿可以晾衣服。</p>
<p>X) 後院有<strong>只</strong>很長的竹竿可以晾衣服。</p>
<p>O) 我的筷子掉到地上了，幫我拿<strong>支</strong>乾淨的。</p>
<p>X) 我的筷子掉到地上了，幫我拿<strong>只</strong>乾淨的。</p>
<p>For songs, movies or youtube videos, you can use 支. (correct, but a little bit rare.)</p>
<p>e.g.</p>
<p>那支(首、個)動人的歌曲，是我最喜歡的歌星唱的。</p>
<p>你說的那支(部、個)電影，我才剛看而已。</p>
<p>Youtube昨天最熱門的那支(個)影片，我等一下分享給你。</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-06T04:38:13.540Z
2020-11-06T04:38:13.540Z
HungYu Chang
<p>只 zhi1 (traditional 隻), a classifier, is completely separate from 只 zhi3 (traditional 只), meaning &quot;only&quot;.</p>
<p>一只 is the former and cannot have the meaning &quot;for you only&quot;.</p>
<p>只 is not a classifier I've ever seen used for videos, so I'd guess it was either used in error or the author's use of artistic license to make the video seem &quot;cute&quot;, like 一只猫 or 一只小鸟.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-06T16:13:52.627Z
2020-11-06T16:13:52.627Z
Lionel Rowe
<p>一只给你的视频。
That line was from an author on YouTube.  One commenter posted that for video it is not 一只 but 一支.</p>
<p>My thinking was that the author meant:  A  (or one) video for you only.</p>
<p>Question:  Can that line be understood as my interpretation above?  Could that be what the author meant?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-06T04:05:00.513Z
No, we don't say 一只视频 or 一支视频.  We say 一个视频 or 一段视频 instead.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-12T19:41:22.030Z
Some of the existing answers are bogged down by orthographic confusion...
dROOOze
<grammar><vocabulary><sentence-structure>
一只 or 一支 meaning only or a unit
# 一只 or 一支 meaning only or a unit

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-11-06)

一只给你的视频。
That line was from an author on YouTube. One commenter posted that for video it is not 一只 but 一支.

My thinking was that the author meant: A (or one) video for you only.

Question: Can that line be understood as my interpretation above? Could that be what the author meant?

**Tags:** grammar, vocabulary, sentence-structure

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: No, we don't say 一只视频 or 一支视频.  We say 一个视频 or 一段视频 instead.  
> **username_2**: Some of the existing answers are bogged down by orthographic confusion...  

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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2020-11-09. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

When 只 is used after 一，it is always interpreted as a measure word.
If you want to say "A video for you only", it will be "一段只给你的视频", or "只给你的视频".

Also the character 只 as a measure word evolves from the action of catching a bird:

[![The evolution of 只](https://i.sstatic.net/OKOVm.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/OKOVm.png) Source:<http://qiyuan.chaziwang.com/etymology-14538.html>

Therefore it is mostly used on animals:

一只鸟 a bird  
一只狗 a dog  
一只老鼠 a mouse

or body part:

一只手 a hand  
一只脚 a foot


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### Answer by username_4 on 2020-11-06. Score: 1

Both 只 and 支 could be measure words and sometimes can be interchangeable.

e.g.

一支戒指 一只戒指

兩支光纖模組 兩只光纖模組(Optic module for network device)

From my experience, 只 is commonly used in formal documents, such as contract, quotation, etc.

For objects which is long and straight, you can only use 支 instead of 只.

e.g.

O) 後院有**支**很長的竹竿可以晾衣服。

X) 後院有**只**很長的竹竿可以晾衣服。

O) 我的筷子掉到地上了，幫我拿**支**乾淨的。

X) 我的筷子掉到地上了，幫我拿**只**乾淨的。

For songs, movies or youtube videos, you can use 支. (correct, but a little bit rare.)

e.g.

那支(首、個)動人的歌曲，是我最喜歡的歌星唱的。

你說的那支(部、個)電影，我才剛看而已。

Youtube昨天最熱門的那支(個)影片，我等一下分享給你。


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### Answer by username_5 on 2020-11-06. Score: 1

只 zhi1 (traditional 隻), a classifier, is completely separate from 只 zhi3 (traditional 只), meaning "only".

一只 is the former and cannot have the meaning "for you only".

只 is not a classifier I've ever seen used for videos, so I'd guess it was either used in error or the author's use of artistic license to make the video seem "cute", like 一只猫 or 一只小鸟.


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