百分之 (bǎi fēn zhī) — percent (used before a number to form a percent… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A prefix meaning 'percent' — always followed by a number (e.g. 百分之五十 = 50%).

idiom

percent (used before a number to form a percentage)

Examples

。
Zhè ge xiàng mù de jìn dù yǐ jīng wán chéng le bǎi fēn zhī wǔ shí.
This project's progress has already reached fifty percent.
百分之。
Yín háng de lì lǜ jīn nián xià jiàng le bǎi fēn zhī líng diǎn wǔ.
The bank's interest rate dropped by zero point five percent this year.
。
Wǒ men de mù biāo shì bǎ chéng běn jiàng dī bǎi fēn zhī èr shí.
Our goal is to reduce costs by twenty percent.

Origin

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.

一白百

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

白

白bái百bǎi

Same sound today

百 combines 一, which carries the number meaning, with 白, which provides the sound.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

八刀分

八八bāto separate
刀刀dāoknife

分 pairs 八 (to separate) with 刀 (knife), showing something cut apart with a knife.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

止止zhǐfoot
一一yīthe beginning place

The shape pairs 止, a foot, with 一, a beginning place, and means to go.

Appears in

Math Numbers & Counting

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