Difference between revisions of "Expressing fractions with "fenzhi""

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Revision as of 08:34, 22 November 2018

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分之 (fēn zhī) is used to form a fraction in Chinese. When expressing a fraction, the denominator is always said before the numerator. This pattern is also the way percentages are expressed in Chinese.

So "½" is read 二分之一 (èr fēn zhī yī), literally "1 of 2 portions." Note the order: it's NOT 一分之二 (yī fēn zhī èr). So "¾" is 四分之三 (sì fēn zhī sān), and "⅚" is 六分之五 (liù fēn zhī wǔ). To say a percentage, for example, 50 percent, you would say 百分之五十 (bǎi fēn zhī wǔshí), which is literally the same as how you would pronounce the equivalent fraction "50 hundredths."

Basic Pattern

Structure

Denominator + 分之 + Numerator

Remember that the denominator is the bottom number in a fraction, but it comes first in spoken Chinese. Knowing that this order actually totally fits the overall "big to small" Chinese cultural pattern might help you to remember.

Examples

  • 我 的 手机 电量 只 有 百 分 之 五 了 。Wǒ de shǒujī diànliàng zhǐ yǒu bǎi fēn zhī wǔ le.My phone only has 5% power left.
  • 这个 文件 已经 下载 了 三 分 之 二 。Zhège wénjiàn yǐjīng xiàzǎi le sān fēn zhī èr.This document is two-thirds downloaded.
  • 这 篇 文章 有 五 分 之 三 是 抄 别人 的 。Zhè piān wénzhāng yǒu wǔ fēn zhī sān shì chāo biérén de.Three fifths of this article has been copied from others.
  • 差不多 三 分 之 一 的 美国 人 有 护照 。Chàbuduō sān fēn zhī yī de Měiguó rén yǒu hùzhào.About one third of Americans have passports.
  • 我们 学校 四 分 之 三 的 老师 都 是 男 老师 。Wǒmen xuéxiào sì fēn zhī sān de lǎoshī dōu shì nán lǎoshī.Three fourths of the teachers at our school are male teachers.

Advanced Pattern

Structure

This structure is what you'll often see in news stories that use statistics. The word 占 (zhàn) is a bit more formal, and means something like "comprises" or "makes up" or "accounts for."

A + 是 / 占 + B + 的 + Denominator + 分之 + Numerator

Examples

  • 我们 公司 的 外国 员工 分 之 一 。Wǒmen gōngsī de wàiguó yuángōng zhàn sān fēn zhī yī.One third of our company's employees are foreigners.
  • 美国 人口 中国 的 五 分 之 一 。Měiguó rénkǒu shì Zhōngguó de wǔ fēn zhī yī.America's population is one fifth of China's.
  • 押金 房租 的 百 分 之 二十 。Yājīnyào shì fángzū de bǎifēn zhī èrshí.The deposit is 20% of the rent.
  • 期末 考试 成绩 总 成绩 的 百 分 之 三十 。 Qīmò kǎoshì chéngjì zhàn zǒng chéngjì de bǎi fēn zhī sānshí.The final exam grade accounts for 30% of the final grade.
  • 在 美国 ,全职 妈妈 差不多 分 之 二 。Zài Měiguó, quánzhí māma chàbuduō zhànfēn zhī èr.In the US, full-time mothers are about two fifths of all mothers.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books