Approximations with "chabuduo"

差不多 (chàbùduō) can be used as an adjective or an adverb to express that aspects of one or more things are close to each other or the difference between them is small.

Structure as an adjective

As an adjective, 差不多 can be placed directly after the subject of the sentence and, when coupled with a 的, can modify nouns.

Subject （+ V.） + 差不多 （+ 的 + Noun）

Examples

• 这 两 款 电脑 差不多，你 要 哪 个？These two computers are almost the same, which one do you want?
• 很 多 人 说 纽约 和 上海 差不多，真的 吗？Many people say New York and Shanghai are more or less the same, is that true?
• 我们 的 中文 水平 差不多。Our levels of Chinese are more or less the same.
• 他们 穿 着 差不多 的 衣服。They are wearing more or less the same clothes.
• 这 两 个 人 有 差不多 的 经历，但是 结果 不 一 样。These two people have more or less the same experience, but the outcomes is different.

Structure with an adverb

When using 差不多 as an adverb, place it before the adjective or verb.

差不多 + adj./V./numeral-classifier compound

Examples

• 这 两 个 孩子 差不多 大.These two children are more or less the same size.
• 我们 差不多 高。We are more or less the same height.
• 北京 和 上海 差不多一样冷。Beijing and Shanghai are more or less the same cold.
• 我 差不多 到 公园 门口 了。I'm almost at the entrance of the park.
• 我 觉得 差不多 快 结束 了。I think it's almost done.
• 我 差不多 走 了 四 十 分钟。I walked for almost forty minutes.
• 他 住 在 上海 差不多 三 个 月 了。He lived in Shanghai for almost three months.
• 我们 认识 差不多 一半 的 人。We know almost half the people.
• 我 在 那里 工作 了 差不多 二 十 年。I worked there for almost twenty years.

See also

• Expressing "almost" using "chadian mei"
• Expressing "almost" using "chadian"
• "Nearly" with "jihu"

Sources and further reading

Books

• 现代汉语八百词（增订本） (pp. 111) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 54-5) →buy

Dictionaries

• 现代汉语词典（第5版） (pp. 145) →buy