Difference between revisions of "Approximating with sequential numbers"

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<div class="liju">
 
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* <em>一 两</em> 天 <span class="pinyin"><em>Yī liǎng</em> tiān</span><span class="trans">One or two days.</span>
+
* <em>一 两</em>天 <span class="pinyin"><em>Yī liǎng</em> tiān</span><span class="trans">One or two days.</span>
 
* <em>三 四</em> 个人 <span class="pinyin"> <em>Sān sì</em> gè rén</span><span class="trans">Three or four people</span>
 
* <em>三 四</em> 个人 <span class="pinyin"> <em>Sān sì</em> gè rén</span><span class="trans">Three or four people</span>
 
* 老板 昨天 喝 了 <em>七 八</em> 瓶 啤酒 。 <span class="pinyin">Laobǎn zuótiān hē le <em>qī bā</em> píng píjiǔ.</span> <span class="trans">The boss drunk 7 or 8 bottles of beer yeterday.</span>
 
* 老板 昨天 喝 了 <em>七 八</em> 瓶 啤酒 。 <span class="pinyin">Laobǎn zuótiān hē le <em>qī bā</em> píng píjiǔ.</span> <span class="trans">The boss drunk 7 or 8 bottles of beer yeterday.</span>

Revision as of 03:29, 17 February 2016

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 clothing 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