六七千 (liù qī qiān) — six or seven thousand (approximate number)

Definition

An approximate numeral meaning 'six or seven thousand' — a rough estimate between the two round numbers. Use when you don't know or don't care about the exact figure, in casual contexts.

numeral
six or seven thousand (approximate number)

Examples

  • 六七千。
    Zhè ge shǒu jī dà gài liù qī qiān kuài qián.
    This phone costs about six or seven thousand yuan.
  • 六七千。
    Nà ge xué xiào yǒu liù qī qiān gè xué shēng.
    That school has six or seven thousand students.
  • 六七千。
    Tā měi gè yuè néng zhuàn liù qī qiān yuán.
    He can earn six or seven thousand yuan each month.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

六七six or seven
六liùsix七qīseven
联合Side by side
千qiānthousand

六七 gives an approximate count of six or seven, and 千 supplies the thousand unit.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 六 may come from a simple drawing of a shed, or from an ancient counting mark.

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A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 七 comes from two crossing lines: the top line runs left to right, and the next line goes down and across.

Open 七 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
一一yīone, signifying a number
Sound part声符shēngfú
人
人rén千qiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

千 pairs 人, whose sound was similar, with 一, a number stroke; the extra line was explained as extension, and a thousand is a number reached by extending counting.

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