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 a predicate or an adverb.

"差不多" as a Predicate

Don't get nervous about the word "predicate"; it's simply the rest of the sentence that comes after the subject. So "差不多" can be used pretty much all by itself to complete a sentence after you tell us what subjects we're talking about.

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.)

Simple Subject

Let's first assume that the subject is an easily understood group of people or things.

Structure

Subj. + (都) + 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.

Several Subjects

Let's add in a few different subjects now, using the Chinese word for "and."

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.

"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 跟 我哥哥 差不多 高。Wǒ gēn wǒ gēge chàbùduō gāo.My elder brother and I are more or less the same height.
• 我 差不多 到 公园 门口 了。Wǒ chàbùduō dào gōngyuán ménkǒu le.I'm almost at the entrance of the park.
• 电影 差不多 要 开始 了。Diànyǐng chàbùduō yào kāishǐ le.The movie is almost about to start.
• 今天 的 工作 差不多 做 完 了。Jīntiān de gōngzuò chàbùduō zuò wán le.Today‘s work is almost over.

“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

• 你 儿子 差不多 五 岁 了 吧？Nǐérzi chàbùduō wǔ suì le ba?Your son should be about 5 years old now, right?
• 他 住 在 上海 差不多 三 个 月 了。Tā zhù zài Shànghǎi chàbùduō sān ge yuè le.He has lived in Shanghai for about three months.
• 我 在 这 家 公司 工作 差不多 十 年 了。Wǒ zài gōngzuòle chàbùduō shí nián le.I worked in this company for almost ten years.
• 我父母 结婚 差不多 二十 年 了。Wǒfùmǔ jiéhūn chàbùduō èrshí nián le.My parents have been married for about twenty years.
• 差不多 两 个 星期 以前，我 在 北京 见 过 他。Chàbùduō liǎng ge xīngqí yǐqián, wǒ zài Běijīng jiàn guo tā.About two weeks ago I met with him in Beijing.

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