TongTong
Sign in

成千 (chéng qiān) — thousands of; tens of thousands (in 成千上万)

Definition

成千 is a bound numeral meaning 'thousands of' — it never stands alone and almost always appears in the set phrase 成千上万 ('tens of thousands'). It modifies a noun directly or via 的, never with a measure word.

numeral
thousands oftens of thousands (in 成千上万)

Examples

  • 成千。
    Guǎng chǎng shàng zhàn zhe chéng qiān de guān zhòng.
    Thousands of spectators stood in the square.
  • 。
    chéng qiān Shàng wàn de yóu kè měi nián dōu lái zhè ge chéng shì.
    Tens of thousands of tourists come to this city every year.
  • 成千。
    Zhè cì huó dòng xī yǐn le chéng qiān míng zhì yuàn zhě.
    This event attracted thousands of volunteers.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

成chéngreach
千qiānthousand

“成” means to reach or make up, and “千” is a thousand, denoting many thousands.

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 →

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.

Open 千 →
Appears in
Numbers & Counting

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.