How to use large quantity words in Mandarin Chinese?
In Mandarin, there are different types of large quantity quantifiers. A quantifier conveys an amount or quantity, large or small. Let’s look at some examples:
他的婚礼来了许多人。
(Tā de hūnlǐ lái le xǔduō rén.)
Many people came to his wedding.
大多数人都不喜欢她。
(Dàduōshù rén dōu bù xǐhuan tā.)
Most people don't like her.
他有不少朋友。
(Tā yǒu bùshǎo péngyou.)
He has many friends.
我好些天没吃饺子了。
(Wǒ hǎoxiē tiān méi chī jiaozi le.)
I haven't eaten dumplings in days.
These quantifiers have something in common: they refer to a large but inexact number. For example, how many is 许多 (xǔduō, many)? It depends on context, right? Mandarin has different types of large quantity quantifiers, and each type has its own form and usage. Such quantifiers are commonly used, therefore it is important for us to know what they mean and how to use them ourselves. Interested? Dive in to read more.
Table of Contents
How to use the large quantity quantifier structure “A + 多 (duō, “many/much”)” in Mandarin Chinese?
Use the large quantity quantifier 多 (duō) to mean “many/much,” always preceded by another word, which can vary. Examples of large quantity quantifiers following the A + 多 (duō) structure are: 许多 (xǔduō), 很多 (hěnduō), and 好多 (hǎoduō), among others. They all mean “a large quantity”: 许 in 许多 means “at the level of,” 很 in 很多 means “very,” 好 in 好多 means “quite a lot.” The combination of these enhancing words with 多 (duō) conveys an even larger quantity. The first two can be used formally or informally, but 好多 (hǎoduō) is mostly used in an informal context.
许多人都不认识我。
(Xǔduō rén dōu bù rènshi wǒ.)
Many people don't know me.
树上有很多苹果。
(Shùshang yǒu hěnduō píngguǒ.)
There are many apples on the tree.
他打了好多电话。
(Tā dǎ le hǎoduō diànhuà.)
He made a lot of calls.
This type of quantifier can be reduplicated, but in different forms. For example, the form for 许多 (xǔduō) is AABB (许许多多), but the form for 很多 (hěnduō) and 好多 (hǎoduō) is ABAB (很多很多 and 好多好多).The function of reduplication is to increase the degree of the large quantity. For example, the quantity of 很多很多 is more than 很多 (hěnduō).
这个词有许许多多的意思。
(Zhè ge cí yǒu xǔxǔ duōduō de yìsi. )
This word has many, many meanings.
我想说的有很多很多。
(Wǒ xiǎng shuō de yǒu hěnduō hěnduō.)
I have many, many things to say.
他有好多好多的书。
(Tā yǒu hǎoduō hǎoduō de shū.)
He has many, many books.
There are more quantifiers of this type in Mandarin Chinese. For example, there is 众多 (zhòngduō), where 众 means “many,” 居多 (jūduō), where 居 means “at the level of,” and 诸多 (zhūduō) , where 诸 means “many.” All three of these words mean “a lot,” but there are restrictions on where and with which words to use them, which makes them not interchangeable.
中国人口众多，资源丰富。
(Zhōngguó rénkǒu zhòngduō, zīyuán fēngfù.)
China has a large population and rich resources.
他喜欢的书，科技方面的居多。
(Tā xǐhuan de shū, kējì fāngmiàn de jūduō.)
His favorite books are mostly technology.
最近诸多事情令他头疼。
(Zuìjìn zhūduō shìqíng lìng tā tóuténg.)
A lot of things have been giving him a headache lately.
The above three are all used in a formal context.
How to use the large quantity quantifier structure “大 (dà, “large”) + A” in Mandarin Chinese?
This type of large quantity quantifier consists of the character 大 (dà, large) as a constant word, plus other words. Take, for example, 大量 (dàliàng, a large amount), where 量 means “amount,” and 大多数 (dàduōshù, most) , where 多数 means “majority.”
为做好工作，他花了大量的时间。
(Wèi zuò hǎo gōngzuò, tā huā le dàliàng de shíjiān.)
To do a good job, he spends a lot of time on it.
班里的大多数人都是北京人。
(Bānlǐ de dàduōshù rén dōu shì Běijīng rén.)
Most of the people in the class are from Beijing.
This type differs from “A + 多 (duō) ” in that the “大 (dà) + A” quantifiers cannot be reduplicated. Also, “A + 多 (duō)” stresses the “many/much” meaning, but “大 (dà) + A” highlights the “large” (in size) meaning in addition to the “many/much” meaning.
What are the other large quantity quantifiers in Mandarin Chinese?
There are other types of large quantity quantifiers in Mandarin Chinese. For example: 不少 (bùshǎo, not a few/many), where 不 (bù) means “not” and 少 (shǎo)means “few,” 无数 (wúshù, no limit/countless), where 无 (wú) means “no” and 数 (shù) means “number/limit,” 好些 (hǎoxiē, quite a few), where 好 (hǎo) means “quite” and 些 (xiē) means “a few.” These words are often interchangeable with the A + 多 (duō) type.
屋里有不少人。
(Wūli yǒu bùshǎo rén.)
There are many people in the house.
天上有无数的星星。
(Tiānshàng yǒu wúshù de xīngxing.)
There are countless stars in the sky.
好些人都不知道他是谁。
(Hǎoxiē rén dōu bù zhīdào tā shì shéi.)
Many people don't know who he is.
What is the negative form of large quantity quantifiers in Mandarin Chinese?
There are some patterns to make a negative form of some of the large quantity quantifiers in Mandarin Chinese:
Large quantity quantifier structure | Negated large quantity quantifier structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
A + 多 (duō) | replace A with 不 (bù, not) | 不多 (bùduō, not many/much) |
大 (dà) + A | Replace 大(多) with | 少数 (shǎoshù, minority) |
不少 (bùshǎo) | Delete 不 (bù, not) | 少 (shǎo, few/less) |
她本来就不多的朋友现在更少了。
(Tā běnlái jiù bùduō de péngyou xiànzài gèng shǎo le.)
Her friends, who were few before, are now even fewer.
想去的人是少数。
(Xiǎng qù de rén shì shǎoshù.)
There are few people who want to go.
我这里有少量的钱，你拿去吧。
(Wǒ zhèlǐ yǒu shǎoliàng de qián, nǐ ná qù ba.)
I have a small amount of money here, you can take it.
可以放少许的糖。
(Kěyǐ fàng shǎoxǔ de táng.)
You can add a little sugar.
To sum up
This post discusses large quantity quantifiers in Mandarin. There are two major types: “A + 多 (duō) ” and “大 (dà) + A”. In addition to these two types, there are other quantifiers as well, such as 不少 (bùshǎo, not a few/many), 无数 (wúshù, no limit/countless), and 好些 (hǎoxiē, quite a few). The “A + 多 (duō)” type of quantifiers can be reduplicated for the purpose of enhancing the degree of largeness in quantity, such as 许许多多 (xǔxǔ duōduō, many, many). These quantifiers have negative forms as well, mainly using 不 (bù, not) and 少 (shǎo, few/less).
Are you ready to take on more tasks? Click on these exercises to practice large quantity quantifiers in Mandarin Chinese.
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