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ChineseGrammarWiki


			
				
					
						
						
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<p>Cash is king, even though China is now crazy for mobile
payments. Either way, though, mastering how to say quantities of
money is vital!</p>
<h2 id="asking-how-much-money-with-多少钱-duōshao-qián">Asking "How
Much Money" with 多少钱 (duōshao qián)</h2>
<p>Before you learn how to count money in Chinese, make sure you
know how to ask "how much money" when you go shopping in China.</p>
<h3 id="structure">Structure</h3>
<div class="jiegou">
<p>Subj. + 多少钱 ?</p>
</div>
<h3 id="examples">Examples</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li><em>多少 钱</em> ？<span class="pinyin"><em>Duōshao
qián</em>?</span> <span class="trans">How much?</span></li>
<li>你 的 手机 <em>多少 钱</em>？<span class="pinyin">Nǐ de shǒujī
<em>duōshao qián</em>?</span> <span class="trans">How much was your
cell phone?</span></li>
<li>我们 的 午饭 <em>多少 钱</em>？<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen de wǔfàn
<em>duōshao qián</em>?</span> <span class="trans">How much is our
lunch?</span></li>
<li>这 杯 咖啡<em>多少 钱</em>？<span class="pinyin">Zhè bēi kāfēi
<em>duōshao qián</em>?</span> <span class="trans">How much for this
cup of coffee?</span></li>
<li>这 件 衣服 <em>多少 钱</em>？<span class="pinyin">Zhè jiàn yīfu
<em>duōshao qián</em>?</span> <span class="trans">How much is this
clothing?</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="stating-quantities-of-money">Stating Quantities of
Money</h2>
<h3 id="structure-1">Structure</h3>
<p>Chinese has a specific structure for talking about quantities
for money:</p>
<div class="jiegou">
<p>Number + 块 + Number + 毛</p>
</div>
<h3 id="examples-1">Examples</h3>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>两 <em>块</em> 五 <em>毛</em> <span class="pinyin">liǎng
<em>kuài</em> wǔ <em>máo</em></span><span class="trans">two kuai
five mao (2.5)</span></li>
<li>三 <em>块</em> 八 <em>毛</em> <span class="pinyin">sān
<em>kuài</em> bā <em>máo</em></span><span class="trans">three kuai
eight mao (3.8)</span></li>
<li>十 <em>块</em> 两 <em>毛</em> <span class="pinyin">shí
<em>kuài</em> liǎng <em>máo</em></span><span class="trans">ten kuai
two mao (10.2)</span></li>
<li>二十 三 <em>块</em> 八<em>毛</em> <span class="pinyin">èrshí-sān
<em>kuài</em> bā <em>máo</em></span> <span class=
"trans">Twenty-three kuai eight mao (23.8)</span></li>
<li>五十 <em>块</em> 五 <em>毛</em> <span class="pinyin">wǔshí
<em>kuài</em> wǔ <em>máo</em></span><span class="trans">fifty kuai
five mao (50.5)</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>Note that "2.5 RMB" reads as 两块五 (liǎng kuài wǔ).</p>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>二 <em>块</em> 五 <span class="pinyin">èr <em>kuài</em>
wǔ</span></li>
<li>两 <em>块</em> 五 <span class="pinyin">liǎng <em>kuài</em>
wǔ</span> <span class="trans">two kuai five mao (2.5)</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>If the smaller units are only in tens, you can just say the
number of tens. So "3.8 RMB" is 三块八 (sān kuài bā). This way of
giving the price is normally only used for amounts under 100
RMB.</p>
<p>When the smallest unit is 2, it reads as 二 (èr) instead of 两
(liǎng).</p>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>两 <em>块</em> 两 <span class="pinyin">liǎng <em>kuài</em>
liǎng</span></li>
<li>两 <em>块</em> 二 <span class="pinyin">liǎng <em>kuài</em>
èr</span> <span class="trans">two kuai two mao (2.2)</span></li>
<li>五 <em>块</em> 两 <span class="pinyin">wǔ <em>kuài</em>
liǎng</span></li>
<li>五 <em>块</em> 二 <span class="pinyin">wǔ <em>kuài</em> èr</span>
<span class="trans">five kuai two mao (5.2)</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>The first number is the amount of whole RMB (or dollars etc.),
and the second is the amount smaller units (e.g. cents). So "3.86
RMB" is</p>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>三 <em>块</em> 八 毛 六<span class="pinyin">sān <em>kuài</em> bā máo
liù</span><span class="trans">three kuai eight mao six fen
(3.86)</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>And if there's no smaller unit, e.g. "3 RMB," you can just
say:</p>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>三 <em>块</em><span class="pinyin">sān <em>kuài</em></span>
<span class="trans">Three kuai</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>块 (kuài) is the more common, informal way to talk about money.
More formally you can use 元 (yuán) in exactly the same way. This is
similar to the difference between "dollars" and "bucks" in American
English, or "pounds" and "quid" in British English. 块 (kuài) is
appropriate in more situations than "bucks" or "quid," though.</p>
<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="Indicating_a_number_in_excess" title=
"wikilink">Indicating a number in excess</a></li>
<li><a href="Approximating_with_sequential_numbers" title=
"wikilink">Approximating with sequential numbers</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further
reading</h2>
<h3 id="books">Books</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href=
"A_Practical_Chinese_Grammar_For_Foreigners_(%E5%A4%96%E5%9B%BD%E4%BA%BA%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%AD%E6%B3%95)"
title="wikilink">A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners
(外国人实用汉语语法)</a> (pp. 88-9) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp?_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-23&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;asin=B001J0ADWA&amp;camp=536&amp;creative=3132&amp;creativeASIN=B001J0ADWA">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href="Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_1_(3rd_ed)" title=
"wikilink">Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed)</a> (pp.
233-4) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276385/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=0887276385">
→buy</a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="Category:A2_grammar_points" title=
"wikilink">Category:A2 grammar points</a></p>
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