About and Around in Mandarin: 左右, 大概, 差不多, 几 and 来
By Michael McGettrick and Wee Khang LinUpdated 12 October 2026
Mandarin has no single word for "about". It has several, and each one has a seat: (zuǒyòu) after the number, (dàgài) and (chàbuduō) before it, and (jǐ), (lái) and (duō) inside it. Learn the seat and the choice mostly makes itself.
Quick check
Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.
Pick the right one
0/3Pick the Mandarin for the English.
around three o'clock
I waited an hour and a bit.
He's about twenty, give or take (use 来).
He's about twenty, give or take (use lái ).
The whole system on one screen
The colours stay the same all page long:
dàgài sānshí ge rén; sānshí ge rén zuǒyòu; jǐ ge péngyou; shí lái ge péngyou; sānshí duō ge rén
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| sānshí ge rén zuǒyòu | around thirty people |
| dàgài sānshí ge rén | about thirty people |
| chàbuduō sānshí ge rén | about thirty people, near enough |
| jǐ ge péngyou | a few friends |
| shí lái ge péngyou | ten or so friends |
| sānshí duō ge rén | thirty-odd people |
Before, after or inside: that is the whole choice. The rest of the page is the shades of meaning.
左右 (zuǒyòu): after the number
(zuǒyòu), literally "left-right", means either side of the figure. It goes after the number and its measure word:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| sānshí ge rén zuǒyòu | around thirty people |
| sān diǎn zuǒyòu | around three o'clock |
| yí ge xiǎoshí zuǒyòu | about an hour |
。 | Tā sānshí suì zuǒyòu. | He's about thirty |
It never goes in front of the number, so English "around thirty" is never (zuǒyòu sānshí). You will also meet (shàngxià) in the same seat, mostly after ages and weights: (sānshí suì shàngxià), about thirty years old.
大概 (dàgài): before the number
(dàgài) is an adverb, so it goes before the number, or before the verb. With a number it means "about"; with a verb, "probably":
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| dàgài sānshí ge rén | about thirty people |
。 | Tā dàgài sānshí suì. | He's about thirty |
。 | Wǒmen dàgài bā diǎn zǒu. | We'll leave at about eight |
。 | Tā dàgài bù lái le. | He's probably not coming |
(dàyuē) sits in the same seat and means "about", a touch more formal: (dàyuē sānshí ge rén), about thirty people.
In speech you will hear both ends at once: (dàgài sānshí ge rén zuǒyòu). Chinese school grammar exercises flag that pairing, like … (dàyuē… zuǒyòu), as saying "about" twice, so in writing pick one.
差不多 (chàbuduō): near enough
(chàbuduō), literally "the difference is not much", also goes before the number. It says the figure is close, and with a final (le), that it has nearly been reached:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| chàbuduō sānshí ge rén | about thirty people |
。 | Chàbuduō shí diǎn le. | It's nearly ten |
。 | Wǒ chàbuduō xiěwán le. | I've almost finished writing |
。 | Zhè liǎng ge chàbuduō. | These two are about the same |
So (chàbuduō shí diǎn le) is what you say at five to ten; at ten past you would say (shí diǎn duō le), it's gone ten. (zuǒyòu) leans neither way: (shí diǎn zuǒyòu) can be either side of ten.
几 (jǐ): a few
In a statement, (jǐ) takes the number's seat and means "a few", usually under ten. It keeps the measure word, like any number:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| jǐ ge péngyou | a few friends |
| shíjǐ ge xuésheng | eleven to nineteen students |
| jǐshí ge rén | a few dozen people |
| èrshíjǐ suì | twenty-something |
In a question the same (jǐ) asks how many: ？ (Nǐ yǒu jǐ ge péngyou?), how many friends have you got? That side is on question words.
来 (lái): or so
(lái) goes after a round number, before the measure word, and means "that figure, or so":
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| shí lái ge péngyou | ten or so friends |
| èrshí lái suì | about twenty |
| yìbǎi lái kuài qián | a hundred or so yuan |
With counted things the number must be round: (shí), (èrshí), (yìbǎi). (shísān lái ge) does not work; say (shísān ge zuǒyòu) instead.
多 (duō): and a bit
(duō) after a number means "more than that", never less. Where it goes depends on the number:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| sānshí duō ge rén | thirty-odd people |
| liǎngbǎi duō kuài qián | two hundred-odd yuan |
| yí ge duō xiǎoshí | an hour and a bit |
| yì nián duō | a year and a bit |
After a round number, (duō) usually goes before the measure word: more whole people, more whole yuan. After a single digit it follows the unit, adding a part of one: an hour and a bit is (yí ge duō xiǎoshí), never (yì duō ge xiǎoshí). Clock times work the second way too: (shí diǎn duō), just after ten.
The three "ten-something" forms overlap. (shíjǐ ge) and (shí duō ge) are close to interchangeable; (shí lái ge) hovers around ten itself:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Means |
|---|---|---|
| shíjǐ ge | eleven to nineteen |
| shí duō ge | ten-odd, over ten |
| shí lái ge | about ten, or so |
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| | for "around thirty": (zuǒyòu) goes after |
。 | 。 | (jǐ) keeps its measure word |
| | after a single digit, (duō) follows the unit |
| | (lái) needs a round number |
What to do next
- Do the drill below.
- Estimate three things from your day, each with a different word: how long you slept, when you got up, how many people you saw.
- Then read asking how + adjective with 多, where
(duō) asks "how much".