Approximate Numbers with 多
概数表示法1
Express approximate quantities using 多 in two different positions depending on the measure word
When the number is a round number (10, 20, 100, etc.), 多 goes BEFORE the measure word. When the number includes a single digit with a large-unit measure word (块, 米, 斤, etc.), 多 goes AFTER the measure word.
The key rule: 多 before the measure word means "more than X tens/hundreds." 多 after the measure word means "X and a bit more." The position of 多 changes the meaning.
Lesson Targets
Podcast
Podcast: Approximate Numbers with 多 (概数表示法1)
Listen to Jason & Amy explain the 概数表示法1 pattern
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Understanding 概数表示法1
In real life, we rarely know exact numbers. Chinese uses 多 to express "more than" or "approximately." But here is the tricky part — 多 can go in two different positions, and the position changes the meaning. Pattern 1: 数词 + 多 + 量词 — the number must be a round number (10, 20, 30, 100, etc.). 三十多本书 means "more than 30 books" (could be 31, 35, or 39). Pattern 2: 数词 + 量词 + 多 — the measure word is a "big unit" like 块 (yuan), 米 (meter), 斤 (catty), 岁 (year of age). 三块多 means "three yuan and something" (like 3.5 yuan). The difference is logical: in Pattern 1, 多 replaces the ones digit (三十多 = 30-something). In Pattern 2, 多 adds a fraction after the unit (三块多 = 3-point-something yuan).
Key Points
- Pattern 1: round number + 多 + measure word: 三十多本 (30-something books), 五十多斤 (50-something catties).
- Pattern 2: number + measure word + 多: 三块多 (3-something yuan), 四米多 (4-something meters).
- Pattern 1 requires a round number (tens, hundreds): 二十多, 一百多, 三千多.
- Pattern 2 uses large-unit measure words: 块, 米, 斤, 岁, 年, 个月, etc.
- You cannot say 三多本 — the number must be round for Pattern 1.
- 多 always means "a bit more than" — it never means "a bit less than."
- Both patterns are extremely common in daily conversation, shopping, and describing quantities.
Chinese people often use approximate numbers in daily life, especially for prices and ages. Asking someone is exact age can feel intrusive, so people often say 他三十多岁 (He is thirty-something) to be polite and vague.
Key Vocabulary
Example Sentences
我们班有三十多个学生。
Our class has more than thirty students.
Pattern 1: round number + 多 + measure word
这本书五十多块。
This book is fifty-something yuan.
Pattern 1
这条鱼有七斤多。
This fish weighs seven-something catties.
Pattern 2: number + measure word + 多
那条路四米多宽。
That road is four-something meters wide.
Pattern 2
这件衣服三块多。
This piece of clothing is three-something yuan.
Pattern 2
他已经学了一百多个汉字。
He has already learned more than a hundred characters.
我等了两个多小时。
I waited for more than two hours.
Pattern 2 with 个 as a large unit of time
她二十多岁。
She is twenty-something years old.
Common Mistakes
Pattern 1 requires a round number (tens, hundreds). You cannot say 三多 — it must be 三十多, 三百多, etc.
For single-digit numbers with large-unit measure words, 多 goes AFTER the measure word: 四米多.
With a round number like 50, use Pattern 1: 五十多块. 多 goes before the measure word.
Practice Exercises
Tips & Tricks
Quick rule: if the number is round (20, 30, 100), 多 goes BEFORE the measure word. If it is a single digit, 多 goes AFTER.
When shopping, listen for both patterns: 这个三十多块 (30-something yuan) vs. 这个三块多 (3-something yuan).
For ages, 二十多岁 is much more polite than asking for an exact age.
Practice at the market: ask 这个多少钱？and listen for 多 in the response.
Homework
Write six sentences using Pattern 1 (round number + 多 + measure word) and six sentences using Pattern 2 (number + measure word + 多). Cover prices, ages, distances, and weights.