Defining upper and lower limits
To specify "more than" or "less than" a certain amount, or "within" a certain amount, you're going to want to use some of these common words: 以上 (yǐshàng), 以下 (yǐxià), 以内 (yǐnèi), and 以外 (yǐwài). All are "nouns of locality," or 方位词 in Chinese.
以上 and 以下
以上 and 以下 mean "more than"/"above" and "less than"/"below," respectively. Generally they are non-inclusive, meaning that when you say 十岁以下 you mean "less than ten years of age," up to ten, but not including ten years old. In actual usage, however, this fine point may sometimes be fudged a little.
Structure
Amount / Level + 以上 / 以下
Examples
- 十 岁 以下 的 孩子 不用 买 票 。Children under the age of 10 do not need to buy tickets.
- 我们 需要 有 两 年 以上 工作 经验 的 人 。We need people with two years of working experience or more.
- 我 老家 空气 还 不错，PM2.5 一般 在 五十 以下 。The air in my hometown is good. The PM 2.5 level is generally under 50.
- 这里 的 冬天 气温 都 在 零度 以下 。The winter temperatures here go below zero.
- 我们 出差 都 住 三 星级 以上 的 酒店。This could possibly be inclusive of 3-star hotels. Real-world usage is sometimes imprecise!When we go on business trips, we stay at hotels with above a 3-star rating.
- 以下 就 谈谈 这个 问题 应该 怎么 解决。This could be written or spoken.Following, we will discuss how we should resolve this problem.
- 以上 只 是 我 个人 的 看法 。This could be written or spoken.The above is just my personal opinion.
以内 and 以外
Literally, 以内 and 以外 mean "within" and "outside." This spatial meaning can be extended to all kinds of abstracted meanings, as you will see below. Note that 以外 often combines with 除了.
Structure
[Amount / Time / Place / Scope] + 以内 / 以外
Examples
- 两 天 以内 必须 完成 。Must be completed within two days.
- 半 小时 以内 能 送到 吗 ？Can you deliver in 30 minutes or less?
- 这个 大楼 50 米 以内 不 能 停车 。You cannot park within 50 meters of this building.
- 请 你 站 在 两 米 以外 的 地方 。Please stand 2 meters or more from this place.
Books
