Lessons 23 and 30: Estimated numbers and questions with 多

Expressing approximate numbers with two adjacent numbers, 多, 几 and 有, and asking about distance, height and age with 多 + adjective.

Hanyu textbook · Hanyu 2 · Lesson 23 · Hanyu 2 · Lesson 30

从这儿到博物馆有两三公里。

Cóng zhèr dào bówùguǎn yǒu liǎng sān gōnglǐ.

It is about two or three kilometers from here to the museum.

Explanation

In the sentence "从这儿到博物馆有两三公里", "有" expresses an estimate, "about". Example: 她有二十岁。

Chinese has mainly the following ways of expressing approximate numbers. ❶ Use two adjacent numbers together: 五六百米、三四公里、十七八个、二十三四岁. ❷ Use "多": "多" goes in two different positions, depending on the number before it (这些苹果一共五斤多; 这件毛衣二百多块; 我来中国已经两个多月了). ❸ Use "几": 十几个人, 几千留学生.

Chinese uses "多 + 远/高/大/长/重？" to ask about distance, height, age (or size), weight, length, and so on.

Note (Lesson 30): the adverb "好" is used before words such as "一", "几", "多" and "久" to stress a large quantity or a long time (好几年, 好一会儿, 好多).

Structure

1
Hai số kề nhaulượng từ / danh từ
Use two adjacent numbers together to express an approximate number.
- 五六百米
  wǔ liù bǎi mǐ
  about five or six hundred meters
- 三四公里
  sān sì gōnglǐ
  three or four kilometers
- 十七八个
  shíqī bā ge
  seventeen or eighteen (items)
- 二十三四岁
  èrshí sān sì suì
  twenty-three or twenty-four years old
- 我每天晚上学习两三个小时。
  Wǒ měitiān wǎnshang xuéxí liǎng sān ge xiǎoshí.
  I study for two or three hours every evening.
- 一件羽绒服要三四百块钱。
  Yí jiàn yǔróngfú yào sān sì bǎi kuài qián.
  A down jacket costs three or four hundred yuan.
2
Số多 / 几
The position of 多 depends on the number before it; "几" can also be used for an approximate number.
- 这些苹果一共五斤多。
  Zhèxiē píngguǒ yígòng wǔ jīn duō.
  These apples weigh more than five jin in total.
- 这件毛衣二百多块。
  Zhè jiàn máoyī èr bǎi duō kuài.
  This sweater costs more than two hundred yuan.
- 我来中国已经两个多月了。
  Wǒ lái Zhōngguó yǐjīng liǎng ge duō yuè le.
  I have been in China for more than two months now.
- 昨天去了十几个人。
  Zuótiān qù le shí jǐ ge rén.
  More than ten people went yesterday.
- 我们大学有几千留学生呢。
  Wǒmen dàxué yǒu jǐ qiān liúxuéshēng ne.
  Our university has several thousand international students.
3
Cósố lượng (ước chừng)
The "有" in this sentence expresses an estimate, "about".
- 她有二十岁。
  Tā yǒu èrshí suì.
  She is about twenty years old.
- 从这儿到博物馆有两三公里。
  Cóng zhèr dào bówùguǎn yǒu liǎng sān gōnglǐ.
  It is about two or three kilometers from here to the museum.
4
多远 / 高 / 大 / 长 / 重？
Asking about distance, height, age (or size), weight and length.
- A：从学校到博物馆（有）多远？ B：有五六公里。
  A: Cóng xuéxiào dào bówùguǎn (yǒu) duō yuǎn? B: Yǒu wǔ liù gōnglǐ.
  A: How far is it from the school to the museum? B: About five or six kilometers.
- A：你多高？ B：一米七八。
  A: Nǐ duō gāo? B: Yì mǐ qī bā.
  A: How tall are you? B: One meter seventy-something.
- A：小王多大？ B：他二十岁。
  A: Xiǎo Wáng duō dà? B: Tā èrshí suì.
  A: How old is Xiao Wang? B: He is twenty.
- A：这个箱子多重？ B：20公斤。
  A: Zhège xiāngzi duō zhòng? B: Èrshí gōngjīn.
  A: How heavy is this suitcase? B: 20 kilograms.
- A：长江有多长？ B：6300多公里。
  A: Chángjiāng yǒu duō cháng? B: Liùqiān sānbǎi duō gōnglǐ.
  A: How long is the Yangtze River? B: More than 6,300 kilometers.
5
好一 / 几 / 多 / 久 …
The adverb "好" stresses a large quantity or a long time.
- 他学了好几年了。
  Tā xué le hǎo jǐ nián le.
  He has been studying for several years now.
- 我等了你好一会儿了。
  Wǒ děng le nǐ hǎo yíhuìr le.
  I waited for you for quite a while.
- 我们学了好多生词了。
  Wǒmen xué le hǎo duō shēngcí le.
  We have already learned a great many new words.

Common mistakes

Don't say: *我们班有十七、十八个学生 (correct: 我们班有十七八个学生). Textbook sentence-correction exercise: 昨天我看了电视一个小时多 → 昨天我看了一个多小时电视.

Practice

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