Difference between revisions of "Approximating with sequential numbers"

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* 要 做 完 这 个 工作 需要 <em>一 两</em> 个 月 。 <span class="pinyin">Yào zuò wán zhè ge gōngzuò xūyào <em>yī liǎng</em> gè yuè.</span> <span class="trans">To complete this work, you need one to two months.</span>
 
* 要 做 完 这 个 工作 需要 <em>一 两</em> 个 月 。 <span class="pinyin">Yào zuò wán zhè ge gōngzuò xūyào <em>yī liǎng</em> gè yuè.</span> <span class="trans">To complete this work, you need one to two months.</span>
 
* 他们 家 的 孩子 <em>五 六</em> 岁 了 吧 。 <span class="pinyin">Tāmen jiā de háizi <em>wǔ liù</em> suì le ba.</span> <span class="trans">Their child is about five or six years old.</span>
 
* 他们 家 的 孩子 <em>五 六</em> 岁 了 吧 。 <span class="pinyin">Tāmen jiā de háizi <em>wǔ liù</em> suì le ba.</span> <span class="trans">Their child is about five or six years old.</span>
* 这 件 衣服 只  要 <em>七 八 十</em> 块 钱 。 <span class="pinyin">Zhè ge dōngxī zhǐ xūyào <em>qī bā shí</em> kuài qián.</span> <span class="trans">This thing only needs (costs) seventy to eighty kuai.</span>
+
* 这 件 衣服 只  要 <em>七 八 十</em> 块 钱 。 <span class="pinyin">Zhè jiàn yīfu zhǐ yào <em>qī bā shí</em> kuài qián.</span> <span class="trans">This piece of clothes only needs (costs) seventy to eighty kuai.</span>
 
* 这 几 本 书 花 了 我 <em>两 三 百</em>。 <span class="pinyin">Zhè jǐ běn shū huā le wǒ <em>liǎng sān bǎi</em>.</span> <span class="trans">These few books cost me two or three hundred kuai.</span>
 
* 这 几 本 书 花 了 我 <em>两 三 百</em>。 <span class="pinyin">Zhè jǐ běn shū huā le wǒ <em>liǎng sān bǎi</em>.</span> <span class="trans">These few books cost me two or three hundred kuai.</span>
  

Revision as of 09:44, 2 November 2015

Expressing approximate numbers in Chinese is quite simple, and this article introduces one of the most basic ways to do so.

Structure

An easy way to express approximate numbers is to use two sequential numbers in a row.

Number + (Number+1)

This is similar to saying "x to y," "x or y," or "about x" in English.

Examples

  • 一 两Yī liǎng tiānOne or two days.
  • 三 四 个人 Sān sì gè rénThree or four people
  • 老板 昨天 喝 了 七 八 瓶 啤酒 。 Laobǎn zuótiān hē le qī bā píng píjiǔ. The boss drunk 7 or 8 bottles of beer yeterday.
  • 这 个 词 我们 学 过 两 三 次 了 。 Zhè ge cí wǒmen xué guo liǎng sān cì le. We've studied this word two or three times now.
  • 我 等 了 你 三 四 个 小时。 Wǒ děng le nǐ sān sì ge xiǎoshí. I waited for you for three or four hours.
  • 他们 七 八 年 没 见面 了 。 Tāmen qī bā nián méijiànmiàn le. They haven't seen each other for seven or eight years.
  • 要 做 完 这 个 工作 需要 一 两 个 月 。 Yào zuò wán zhè ge gōngzuò xūyào yī liǎng gè yuè. To complete this work, you need one to two months.
  • 他们 家 的 孩子 五 六 岁 了 吧 。 Tāmen jiā de háizi wǔ liù suì le ba. Their child is about five or six years old.
  • 这 件 衣服 只 要 七 八 十 块 钱 。 Zhè jiàn yīfu zhǐ yào qī bā shí kuài qián. This piece of clothes only needs (costs) seventy to eighty kuai.
  • 这 几 本 书 花 了 我 两 三 百Zhè jǐ běn shū huā le wǒ liǎng sān bǎi. These few books cost me two or three hundred kuai.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books