Approximations with "chabuduo"

差不多 (chàbùduō), translated literally, means "the difference is not much." Essentially what it means in Chinese is "more or less," and is useful for expressing rough approximations. It can be used as an adjective or an adverb.

"差不多" as an Adjective

Simple Structure

When several things are 差不多 (chàbùduō), it means they are "more or less the same." (The part that means "the same" is understood in Chinese.)

Structure

Subj. + 差不多

Examples

• 这 几 个 地方 都 差不多。Zhè jǐ gè dìfāng dōu chàbùduō.These places are all pretty much the same.
• 这 两 个 词 的 意思 差不多。Zhè liǎng gè cí de yìsi chàbùduō.These two words' meanings are more or less the same.
• 我们 的 想法 差不多。Wǒmen de xiǎngfǎ chàbùduō.Our ways of thinking are pretty much the same.
• 这 两 家 餐厅 的 菜 都 差不多。Zhè liǎng jiā cāntīng de cài dōu chàbùduō.These two restaurants' dishes are all more or less the same.
• 我们 的 中文 水平 差不多。Wǒmen de Zhōngwén shuǐpíng chàbùduō.Our levels of Chinese are more or less the same.

Structure

Another often used structure is:

A 跟/和 B + 差不多

Examples

• 上海 和 纽约 差不多。Shànghǎi hé Niǔyuē chàbùduō.Shanghai and New York are basically the same.
• Starbucks 和 Costa 差不多。 Starbucks hé Costa chàbùduō.Starbucks and Coster are almost the same.
• 他 的 衣服 跟 老师 的 衣服 差不多。 Tā de yīfu gēn lǎoshī de yīfu chàbùduō.His clothes and the teacher's clothes are more or less the same.
• 你 的 工作 跟 我 的 工作 差不多。 Nǐ de gōngzuò gēn wǒ de gōngzuò chàbùduō.Your job and my job are more or less the same.
• 这 里 的 天气 跟 北京 差不多。Zhè lǐ de tiānqì gēn Běijīng chàbùduō. The weather here is pretty much like Beijing.

Modify nouns

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

Structure

Subj. + Verb + 差不多 + 的 + Noun

Examples

• 我们 喜欢 差不多 的 菜。Wǒmen xǐhuan chàbùduō de cài.We like more or less the same food.
• 我们 有 差不多 的 中文 水平。Wǒmen yǒu chàbùduō de Zhōngwén shuǐpíng.We have more or less the same Chinese level.
• 这 两 个 词 有 差不多 的 意思。Zhè liǎng gè cí yǒu chàbùduō de yìsi.The two words have almost the same meaning.
• 我们 有 差不多 的 想法。Wǒmen yǒu chàbùduō de xiǎngfǎ.We have more or less the same way of thinking.
• 他们 买 了 差不多 的 手机。Tāmen mǎile chàbùduō de shǒujī.They bought almost the same cell phone.
• 我 知道 很 多 差不多 的 餐厅。Wǒ zhīdào hěnduō chàbùduō de cāntīng.I know many similar restaurants.
• 我们 去 了 两 个 差不多 的 地方。Wǒmen qùle liǎng gè chàbùduō de dìfāng.We went to two similar places.
• 这 是 两 本 差不多 的 书。Zhè shì liǎng běn chàbùduō de shū.These two books are almost the same.
• 他们 买 了 差不多 的 衣服。Tāmen mǎile chàbùduō de yīfu.They bought more or less the same clothes.
• 我们 有 差不多 的 电脑。Wǒmen yǒu chàbùduō de diànnǎo.We have more or less the same computer.

Antonym "差很多"

When 差不多 (chàbùduō) is an adjective, it literally means "the difference is not much." The opposite, then would be 差很多 (chà hěn duō), which literally means "the difference is very great." Less literally, if 差不多 (chàbùduō) means "more or less the same," then 差很多 (chà hěn duō) means "not the same at all."

Structure

This first pattern tells you the two are not roughly equal, but it is not always clear which is better or which is worse. Sometimes it just means they are "very different."

Subject + 差 很 多

A 跟/和 B + 差 很 多

Examples

• 我 的 电脑 很 不 好用，哥哥 的 电脑 很 好用。 我们 的 电脑 差 很 多 。Wǒ de diànnǎo hěn bù hǎo yòng, gēgē de diànnǎo hěn hǎo yòng. Wǒmen de diànnǎo chà hěn duō.My computer is hard to use, but my older brother's is easy to use. There's a big difference between our computers.
• 你 的 中文 好 ，我 的 中文 不 好 。我们 的 中文 差 很 多 。Nǐ de Zhōngwén hǎo, wǒ de Zhōngwén bù hǎo. Wǒmen de Zhōngwén chà hěnduō.Your Chinese is good, and mine isn't good. There's a big difference in our Chinese.
• 这 家 餐厅 的 中国 菜 很 不 好吃 ，跟 那 家 餐厅 的 差 很 多 。Zhè jiā cāntīng de Zhōngguó cài hěn bù hǎochī, gēn nà jiā cāntīng de chà hěn duō.This restaurant's Chinese food is really not good. It's a lot worse than that restaurant's.
• 我 的 年龄 跟 他 的 年龄 差 很 多 。Wǒ de niánlíng gēn tā de niánlíng chà hěn duō.My age and his age are really far apart.
• 我 的 看法 和 他 的 看法 也 差 很 多 。Wǒ de kànfǎ hé tā de kànfǎ yě chà hěn duō.My views and his views are also quite different.
• 很 多 人 觉得 上海 和 纽约 差不多，但是 我 觉得 上海 和 纽约 差 很 多 。Hěnduō rén juédé Shànghǎi hé Niǔyuē chàbùduō, dànshì wǒ juédé Shànghǎi hé Niǔyuē chà hěn duō.A lot of people think that Shanghai and New York are more are less the same, but I think that there's a big difference between Shanghai and New York.
• 这 两 个 方法 都 可以，但是 结果 会 差 很 多 。 Zhè liǎng gè fāngfǎ dōu kěyǐ, dànshì jiéguǒ huì chà hěn duō.Both of these methods are OK, but the results are going to be very different.
• 这 两 个 词 的 意思 差不多，但是 用法 差 很 多 。Zhè liǎng gè cí de yìsi chàbùduō, dànshì yòngfǎ chà hěn duō.The meanings of these two words are basically the same, but their usages are very different.
• 中国 和 日本 的 文化 差 很 多 ，所以 中国 人 和 日本 人 的 想法 也 差 很 多 。Zhōngguó hé Rìběn de wénhuà chà hěn duō, suǒyǐ Zhōngguó rén hé Rìběn rén de xiǎngfǎ yě chà hěn duō.Chinese and Japanese culture are very different, so the views of Chinese people and Japanese people are also very different.
• 他们 的 工作 能力 差 很 多 ，所以 他们 做 的 工作 不 一样 。Tāmen de gōngzuò nénglì chà hěn duō, suǒyǐ tāmen zuò de gōngzuò bù yīyàng.Their work capabilities are quite different, so the work they do is not the same.

"差不多" as an adverb

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

Structure

差不多 + Adj./Verb

Examples

• 这 两 个 孩子 差不多 大。Zhè liǎng gè háizi chàbùduō dà.These two children are more or less the same age.
• 我们 差不多 高。Wǒmen chàbùduō gāo.We are more or less the same height.
• 北京 和 上海 差不多 热。Běijīng hé Shànghǎi chàbùduō rè.Beijing and Shanghai are both just as hot.
• 两 个 地方 差不多 远。Liǎng gè dìfāng chàbùduō yuǎn.The two places are both just as far away.
• 在 这里，香蕉 跟 苹果 差不多 贵。Zài zhèlǐ, xiāngjiāo gēn píngguǒ chàbùduō guì.Here the bananas and apples are just as expensive.
• 我 差不多 到 公园 门口 了。Wǒ chàbùduō dào gōngyuán ménkǒule.I'm almost at the entrance of the park.
• 我 觉得 会议 差不多 结束 了。Wǒ juédé huìyì chàbùduō jiéshùle.I think the meeting is almost over.
• 我 差不多 走 了 四 十 分钟。Wǒ chàbùduō zǒu le sìshí fēnzhōng.I walked for almost forty minutes.
• 工作 差不多 做 完 了。Gōngzuò chàbùduō zuò wán le.Work is almost over.
• 快点，球赛 差不多 开始 了。Kuài diǎn, qiúsài chàbùduō kāishǐle.Hurry, the competition is almost about to begin.
• 上海 的 老外 差不多 有 十 万。Shànghǎi de lǎowài chàbùduō yǒu shí wàn.Shanghai has about 100,000 foreigners.
• 这 个 房间 很 小，差不多 能 住 三 个 人。Zhè ge fángjiān hěn xiǎo,chàbùduō néng zhù sān gè rén.This room is really small, about three people can live here.

“差不多" with a quantity or time phrase

After 差不多 (chàbùduō) you can also add a phrase that expresses quantity or time. This makes it clear that you're giving a rough estimate.

Structure

差不多 ＋ quantity phrase / time phrase

Examples

• 我 学 中文 差不多 两年 了。Wǒ xué Zhōngwén chàbùduō liǎng niánle.I have studied Chinese for about two years.
• 他 的 儿子 差不多 十 五 岁 了 吧？Tā de érzi chàbùduō shíwǔ suìle ba?His son should be about 15 years old now, right?
• 我们 走 了 差不多 一 个 小时 了。Wǒmen zǒu le chàbùduō yīgè xiǎo shí le.We've been walking for about an hour.
• 我们 公司 有 差不多 一百 个 人。Wǒmen gōngsī yǒu chàbùduō yībǎi gè rén.Our company has about 100 people.
• 他 住 在 上海 差不多 三 个 月 了。Tā zhù zài Shànghǎi chàbùduō sān gè yuèle.He has lived in Shanghai for about three months.
• 我 认识 这里 差不多 一半 的 人。Wǒ rènshi zhèlǐ chàbùduō yībàn de rén.I know about half of the people here.
• 我 在 那里 工作 了 差不多 二十 年。Wǒ zài nàlǐ gōngzuòle chàbùduō èrshí nián.I worked there for almost twenty years.
• 差不多 两 个 星期 以前，我 见 过 他。Chàbùduō liǎng gè xīngqí yǐqián, wǒ jiànguò tā.About two weeks ago I met with him.
• 一 个 人 从 上海 去 杭州，需要 差不多 两 百 块 钱。Yīgè rén cóng Shànghǎi qù Hángzhōu, xūyào chàbùduō liǎng bǎi kuài qián.A person going from Shanghai to Hangzhou needs about 200 dollars.
• 我们 结婚 差不多 十 年 了。Wǒmen jiéhūn chàbùduō shí niánle.We've been married for about ten 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） (p. 111) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 54-5) →buy
• Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (p. 116) →buy

Dictionaries

• 现代汉语词典（第5版） (p. 145) →buy