数十亿 (shù shí yì) — (classifier) tens of billions

Definition

A precise numeral for 'tens of billions' (10–99 billion). 数十亿 emphasizes a count; billions of in English is more vague.

classifier

tens of billions

Examples

数十亿。
Zhè jiā gōng sī shì zhí chāo guò shù shí yì měi yuán.
This company's market value exceeds tens of billions of dollars.
数十亿。
Zhèng fǔ tóu rù le shù shí yì zī jīn yòng yú kē yán.
The government invested tens of billions of funds into scientific research.
数十亿。
Yín hé xì lǐ yǒu shù shí yì kē xīng xing.
There are tens of billions of stars in the Milky Way.

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.

数十tens

数shùseveral十shíten

偏正Modifier + head

亿yìhundred million

数 (several) and 十 (ten) make tens of 亿, i.e. several billion.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 數; 数 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

攴攴pū

Sound part声符shēngfú

婁

婁lóu數shù(r)

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 數 pairs 攴, the meaning part, with 婁, the sound part; the simplified 数 is a shorthand.

Open 数 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The early shape 十 was mostly a single vertical stroke, sometimes with a dot, and later gained a horizontal stroke to form a cross. For the number ten, it marked the next digit above one.

Open 十 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 億; 亿 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

人人rén

Sound part声符shēngfú

意

意yì億yì

Same sound today

The traditional form 億 pairs 人 (person) with 意 for its sound; the simplified 亿 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original pieces.

Open 亿 →

Appears in