Approximate numbers, fractions and multiples
B1 概数、分数与倍数 49 / 56
In short
Chinese does not conjugate “about” - it slots a small helper word around a number. Use 几 jǐ for “a few”, 多 duō for “-odd / more than”, 左右 zuǒyòu for “approximately”, and an adjacent pair like 三四个 sān sì ge for “three or four”. Fractions read denominator-first (三分之一 sān fēn zhī yī = one third), and multiples use 倍 bèi (三倍 sān bèi = three times).
The rule
There is no morphology here: you keep the plain number from Numbers (二 vs 两; big numbers) and add a function word that says “roughly”, “a share of” or “times”. Learn them by the job they do.
Step 1 - Approximate a small count with 几. 几 jǐ before a measure word means “a few / several”, a vague number from 1 to 9: 几个人 jǐ ge rén (several people). Stack it onto place-words: 十几 shí jǐ = a teen (11-19), 几十 jǐ shí = several tens, 几百 jǐ bǎi = a few hundred. (This is the same 几 used to ask “how many?”; here it answers instead of asking.)
Step 2 - “More than” with 多, and mind the position. The slot of 多 changes the meaning:
- Round number + 多 + measure leaves everything below the stated round unit open: 三十多个 sān shí duō ge = thirty-odd (30-39), 一百多本 yī bǎi duō běn = a hundred-odd volumes (100-199).
- Number + measure + 多 adds a fraction of the next unit down: 一个多月 yī ge duō yuè = one month and a bit (more than one, less than two), 五块多 wǔ kuài duō = five-plus yuan.
Step 3 - “About / roughly” in three positions. 来 lái sits inside a round quantity: 十来个 shí lái ge (about ten), 二十来岁 èr shí lái suì (about twenty years old). 左右 zuǒyòu (“left-right”) and 上下 shàngxià (“up-down”) come after the whole quantity: 五点左右 wǔ diǎn zuǒyòu (around 5:00), 五十岁上下 wǔ shí suì shàngxià (about fifty). The adverbs 大约 dàyuē, 大概 dàgài and 差不多 chàbuduō come before it: 大约二十个 dàyuē èr shí ge (about twenty).
Step 4 - Adjacent pairs. Two consecutive, ascending numbers side by side mean “that many, give or take one”: 三四个 sān sì ge (3-4), 七八天 qī bā tiān (7-8 days), 五六十 wǔ liù shí (50-60). When “two” is part of the pair before a measure word, it is 两 liǎng, not 二: 一两个 yī liǎng ge (1-2), 两三个 liǎng sān ge (2-3).
Step 5 - Fractions and percentages. The frame is denominator + 分之 + numerator (fēn zhī = “parts, of which”) - the whole comes first: 三分之一 sān fēn zhī yī = 1/3, 四分之三 sì fēn zhī sān = 3/4. A percentage is just a fraction over one hundred: 百分之 + number, so 百分之十 bǎi fēn zhī shí = 10%, 百分之百 bǎi fēn zhī bǎi = 100%.
Step 6 - Decimals with 点. 点 diǎn is the decimal point. Read the integer part as a normal number, say 点, then read each digit after it one by one: 三点五 sān diǎn wǔ = 3.5, 三点一四 sān diǎn yī sì = 3.14, 零点二五 líng diǎn èr wǔ = 0.25.
Step 7 - Multiples with 倍. N + 倍 means “N times”: 两倍 liǎng bèi = double, 三倍 sān bèi = triple. The usual frame is A + 是 + B + 的 + N + 倍 (A is N times B): 是那本的三倍 shì nà běn de sān bèi (is three times that one). Watch the growth verb: 增加了 N 倍 counts only the increase, so the total ends up N+1 times (see Tips).
Forms & patterns
Approximation devices - what to add and where:
| Device | Position | Meaning | Example | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 几 | before measure | a few (1-9) | 几个人 | jǐ ge rén (several people) |
| 十几 / 几十 | - | teens / several tens | 十几个 | shí jǐ ge (a dozen-odd) |
| 多 | round number + 多 + measure | -odd | 三十多岁 | sān shí duō suì (thirty-odd) |
| 多 | number + measure + 多 | unit-plus-a-bit | 一个多月 | yī ge duō yuè (a month-plus) |
| 来 | inside round quantity | about | 十来个 | shí lái ge (about ten) |
| 左右 / 上下 | after quantity | approximately | 五点左右 | wǔ diǎn zuǒyòu (around 5:00) |
| adjacent pair | replaces the number | either/or that many | 三四个 | sān sì ge (three or four) |
| 大约 / 大概 | before quantity | about (adverb) | 大约二十个 | dàyuē èr shí ge (about 20) |
Fractions, decimals and multiples:
| Type | Pattern | Example | Pinyin | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fraction | 分母 + 分之 + 分子 | 三分之一 | sān fēn zhī yī | 1/3 |
| Fraction | (denominator first) | 四分之三 | sì fēn zhī sān | 3/4 |
| Percentage | 百分之 + 数 | 百分之十 | bǎi fēn zhī shí | 10% |
| Decimal | 整数 + 点 + 数字 | 三点五 | sān diǎn wǔ | 3.5 |
| Decimal | (digits read singly) | 零点二五 | líng diǎn èr wǔ | 0.25 |
| Multiple | 数 + 倍 | 两倍 | liǎng bèi | 2× (double) |
| Multiple | A 是 B 的 N 倍 | 是…的三倍 | shì … de sān bèi | 3× as much |
Examples
- 教室里有几个学生。 (Jiàoshì lǐ yǒu jǐ ge xuésheng.) - There are a few students in the classroom.
- 他三十多岁。 (Tā sān shí duō suì.) - He is thirty-something.
- 我等了一个多小时。 (Wǒ děng le yī ge duō xiǎoshí.) - I waited for over an hour.
- 昨天来了二十来个人。 (Zuótiān lái le èr shí lái ge rén.) - About twenty people came yesterday.
- 她五十岁左右。 (Tā wǔ shí suì zuǒyòu.) - She is around fifty.
- 桌上有三四本书。 (Zhuō shàng yǒu sān sì běn shū.) - There are three or four books on the table.
- 三分之一的学生是女生。 (Sān fēn zhī yī de xuésheng shì nǚshēng.) - One third of the students are girls.
- 今年价格上涨了百分之二十。 (Jīnnián jiàgé shàngzhǎng le bǎi fēn zhī èr shí.) - This year prices rose by 20%.
- 圆周率大约是三点一四。 (Yuánzhōulǜ dàyuē shì sān diǎn yī sì.) - Pi is roughly 3.14.
- 这里的房价是十年前的三倍。 (Zhèlǐ de fángjià shì shí nián qián de sān bèi.) - Housing prices here are three times what they were ten years ago.
Common mistakes
- 一分之三 (for 1/3) -> 三分之一 (sān fēn zhī yī, one third) - the denominator comes first; 分之 splits “three parts, of which one”.
- 左右三十个 -> 三十个左右 (sān shí ge zuǒyòu, about thirty) - 左右 and 上下 always trail the quantity; only 大约 / 大概 lead it.
- 三十个多人 -> 三十多个人 (sān shí duō ge rén, thirty-odd people) - for a round number, 多 sits between the number and the measure word, not after it.
- 二三个 -> 两三个 (liǎng sān ge, two or three) - before a measure word the “two” in a pair is 两, so it is 两三, never 二三.
- 三分之两 -> 三分之二 (sān fēn zhī èr, two thirds) - a fraction’s numerator is a counting number, so it is 二, not 两.
Tips
- Placement mnemonic: 左右 / 上下 hug the number from behind (“thirty years old, left-right”); 大约 / 大概 / 差不多 stand in front. Never use two hedges at once - 大约三十个左右 is redundant; pick one.
- The 增加了 N 倍 trap: this counts only the growth, so the total becomes N+1 times. 增加了一倍 zēngjiā le yī bèi = doubled (now 2×), 增加了两倍 = tripled (now 3×). To say “grew to N times”, use 增加到 N 倍 or 是原来的 N 倍 shì yuánlái de N bèi.
- Shopping discounts use 折 zhé, counted as the fraction you pay: 打八折 dǎ bā zhé = pay 80% (20% off), 打五折 dǎ wǔ zhé = half price. The number is what you hand over, not the markdown - a false friend for English speakers.
- In news and statistics, 成 chéng means “one tenth”: 九成 jiǔ chéng = 90%, 有八成把握 yǒu bā chéng bǎwò = “80% sure”. It is the everyday cousin of 百分之.