成万 (chéng mò) — tens of thousands (an approximate large number)

Definition

'Tens of thousands' — an approximate large number, more than 万 (10,000) but not pinned to an exact count. Use for impressive but rounded figures, e.g. ∼人, ∼吨.

numeral
tens of thousands (an approximate large number)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 成万。
    Zhè cì huó dòng xī yǐn le chéng mò rén cān jiā.
    This event attracted tens of thousands of participants.
  • 成万。
    chéng mò Guān zhòng zài guǎng chǎng shàng děng dài yǎn chū kāi shǐ.
    Tens of thousands of spectators were waiting in the square for the performance to start.
  • 成万。
    Gōng sī měi nián shēng chǎn chéng mò dūn gāng cái.
    The company produces tens of thousands of tons of steel each year.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

成chéngbecome
万wànten thousand

成 and 万 suggest becoming ten thousand, hence a very large number.

Characters in this word

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
戊戊wù
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng成chéng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

成 puts 戊, a weapon, beside 丁, which gives the sound. The weapon part relates to protection, as in the old sense of city walls.

Open 成 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 萬; 万 is its simplified writing.

For 万, the form 萬 was originally a picture of a scorpion, later borrowed for its sound to write 'ten thousand'; the scorpion picture is unrelated to that number.

Open 万 →

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