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 岁 了。Wǒ māma yǐjīng wǔshí duō suì le.My mother is over fifty.
  • 我们 走 了 两 个 小时 。Wǒmen zǒu le liǎng gè duō xiǎoshí.It took us more than two hours to walk here.
  • 这个 班 有 两 百 个 学生 。Zhège bān yǒu liǎng bǎi duō gè xuéshēng.There are more than two hundred students in this class.
  • 这 本 书 有 一 千 页 。Zhè běn shū yǒu yī qiān duō yè.This book has more than ten thousand pages.
  • 他 在 国外 住 了 二十 年 了 。Tā zài guówài zhù le èrshí duō nián le.He has been living abroad for more than twenty years.
  • 这个 包 花 了 我 三 万 块钱 。Zhège bāo huā le wǒ sān qiān duō kuài qián.This bag cost me more than thirty thousand kuai.
  • 他 在 那儿 住 了 二十 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 条 垃圾 短信 。Wǒ zuótiān shōudào le sānshí duō tiáo lājī duǎnxìn.I received more than thirty spam messages yesterday.
  • 这个 城市 有 两 千 年 的 历史 。Zhège chéngshì yǒu liǎng qiān duō nián de lìshǐ.China has a history of more than two thousand years.
  • 因为 这 件 事 ,三十 个 官员 被 抓 起来 了 。Yīnwèi zhè jiàn shì, sānshí duō gè guānyuán bèi zhuā qǐlai le.More than 30 officials were arrested because of this matter.

In the above examples, 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
  • 五十岁
  • 五十
  • 九十块钱
  • 九十 块 钱

See also

Sources and further reading

Books