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四五 (sì wǔ) — about four or five; approximately four to five (used to indicate an approximate number)

Definition

A colloquial way to say 'about four or five' — used as an approximation, not a precise count. Similar to saying 'four-ish, five-ish' in English; the exact number is not important.

numeral
about four or fiveapproximately four to five (used to indicate an approximate number)

Examples

  • 四五。
    Wǒ mǎi le sì wǔ gè píng guǒ.
    I bought about four or five apples.
  • 四五。
    Tā děng le sì wǔ fēn zhōng cái lái.
    He waited about four or five minutes before coming.
  • 四五。
    Jiào shì lǐ zhǐ yǒu sì wǔ gè rén.
    There are only about four or five people in the classroom.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

四sìfour
五wǔfive

四 and 五 stand as 'four' and 'five', giving an approximate 'four or five'.

Characters in this word

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

The form 四 was drawn as a nose breathing out. It later came to be used for the word four.

Open 四 →

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

An older form had a crossed mark between a top bar and a bottom bar. The modern 五 keeps those bars, while the original idea is uncertain.

Open 五 →
Appears in
Numbers & Counting

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