Indicating a number in excess

A number in excess of a certain amount is expressed by adding "多" (duō) to the end of a number. This is usually translated as "more than..." in English.

Structure

Number + 多 + [Measure word] (+ Noun)

Examples

• 我 妈妈 已经 五十 多 岁 了。Wǒ māma yǐjīng wǔshí duō suì le.My mother is over fifty.
• 我们 走 了 两 个 多 小时 。Wǒmen zǒu le liǎng gè duō xiǎoshí.We walked for more than two hours.
• 这个 班 有 两 百 多 个 学生 。Zhège bān yǒu liǎng bǎi duō gè xuéshēng.There are more than two hundred students in this class.
• 这个 包 三 万 多 块钱 。Zhège bāo sān wàn duō kuài qián.This bag costs more than thirty thousand kuai.
• 这 本 书 有 一 千 多 页 。Zhè běn shū yǒu yī qiān duō yè.This book has more than a thousand pages.
• 他 在 国外 住 了 二十 多 年 了 。Tā zài guówài zhù le èrshí duō nián le.He has been living abroad for more than twenty years.
• 他 在 那儿 住 了 二十 多 天 了 。Tā zài nàr zhù le èrshí duō tiān le.He's been staying there for over 20 days.
• 我 昨天 收到 了 三十 多 条 垃圾 短信 。Wǒ zuótiān shōudào le sānshí duō tiáo lājī duǎnxìn.I received more than thirty spam text messages yesterday.
• 这个 城市 有 两 千 多 年 的 历史 。Zhège chéngshì yǒu liǎng qiān duō nián de lìshǐ.This city has a history of more than two thousand years.

In the above examples, 岁, 年 and 天 do not take a measure word.

When the number is smaller than eleven, the 多 can be put after the measure word. However, if the number is bigger than eleven, the 多 has to be put before the measure word:

• 五 岁 多 wǔ suì duō
• 五十 岁 多 wǔshí suì duō
• 五十 多 岁 wǔshí duō suì
• 九十 块钱 多 jiǔshí kuàiqián duō
• 九十 多 块钱jiǔshí duō kuàiqián

See also

• Intensifying with "duo"
• Doing something more with "duo"
• Asking about degree with "duo"
• Using "ji" to mean "several"

Sources and further reading

Books

• HSK Standard Course 2 (pp. 4) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 81) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (pp. 205-7) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册） (pp. 86) [ →buy]

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