Approximating with sequential numbers

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.

Examples

一两天
yī liǎng tiān
one or two days
三四个人
sān sì gè rén
three or four people
老板昨天喝了七八瓶胡萝卜汁。
Lǎobǎn zuótiān hē le qī bā píng húluóbo zhī.
The boss drank 7 or 8 bottles of carrot juice yesterday.
这个词我们学过两三次了。
Zhège 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 gè xiǎoshí.
I waited for you for three or four hours.
他们七八年没见面了。
Tāmen qī bā nián méi jiànmiàn 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 zhège 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 clothing only 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.

Structure