Ch 2 · Lesson 29Mandarin · Chapter 2 · Lesson 29 · Grammar primer
Big numbers: 百, 千, 零 and 万
needs its , a gap is said with (líng), and big numbers count in (wàn), ten thousand: is 30,000, not 3,000.
The short version
yìbǎi líng wǔ
Why?Hide
When a number has a gap in the middle, Mandarin says the zero: 105 is (yìbǎi líng wǔ), and one (líng) covers a whole run of gaps, so 1,005 is (yìqiān líng wǔ). Leave it out and the number changes, because (yìbǎi wǔ) is how people say 150.
Hundreds and thousands: 百 (bǎi) and 千 (qiān)
Unlike (shí), the units (bǎi), (qiān) and (wàn) always take a number in front. 100 is (yìbǎi), never bare (bǎi). After that the units stack from largest to smallest:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Value |
|---|---|---|
| sānbǎi | 300 |
| sānbǎi wǔshí | 350 |
| sìqiān liùbǎi | 4,600 |
| jiǔqiān jiǔbǎi jiǔshíjiǔ | 9,999 |
In speech the last unit is often dropped when it is the next one down, so (sānbǎi wǔ) means 350, not 305:
。(Zhège sānbǎi wǔ.) - This one is 350.
Shopkeepers say it constantly, which is exactly why the (líng) rule below matters.
十 (shí) or 一十 (yìshí)?
At the start of a number, ten is plain (shí): (shíwǔ) is 15. Inside a bigger number, the (yī) comes back:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Value |
|---|---|---|
| yìbǎi yìshíwǔ | 115 |
| yìbǎi yìshí | 110 |
| yìqiān líng yìshí | 1,010 |
Saying (yìbǎi shíwǔ) for 115 is a classic learner's slip.
零 (líng): one zero for any gap
When a number has a gap in the middle, Mandarin says it with (líng):
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Value |
|---|---|---|
| yìbǎi líng yī | 101 |
| yìbǎi líng wǔ | 105 |
| yìqiān líng wǔ | 1,005 |
| yìqiān líng wǔshí | 1,050 |
| liǎngqiān líng bā | 2,008 |
One (líng) covers a whole run of missing digits: 1,005 has one, not two. Zeros at the end are never said: 1,500 is (yìqiān wǔbǎi). And (yìbǎi líng wǔ) is 105, while (yìbǎi wǔ) is 150: forget the and you have asked for forty-five more than you meant.
Counting in 万 (wàn), not in thousands
English groups big numbers in threes: thousand, million, billion. Mandarin groups them in fours: (wàn) for 10,000 and (yì) for 100,000,000.
| Value | Hanzi | Pinyin | Literally |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | | yíwàn | one ten-thousand |
| 100,000 | | shíwàn | ten ten-thousands |
| 1,000,000 | | yìbǎiwàn | a hundred ten-thousands |
| 10,000,000 | | yìqiānwàn | a thousand ten-thousands |
| 100,000,000 | | yíyì | one hundred-million |
| 1,000,000,000 | | shíyì | ten hundred-millions |
To read a big figure, forget the English commas and regroup the digits in fours from the right:
The same trick turns 1,400,000,000 into 14,0000,0000:
。(Zhōngguó yǒu shísì yì rén.) - China has 1.4 billion people.
The commonest mistake is reading the digit before (wàn) as thousands. (sānwàn) is 30,000, not 3,000, and on a rent deposit that is not a rounding error.
Going further: The whole system on one screen and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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Lesson 29 of 44 in this chapter