一千两百万 (yì qiān liǎng bǎi wàn) — 12 million, 12,000,000

Definition

A precise compound numeral meaning exactly 12,000,000 (12 million) — read as 'one thousand two hundred ten-thousands' in Chinese counting logic, where 万 = ten thousand. Use it for exact figures like population, revenue, or price.

numeral
12 million12,000,000

Examples

  • 一千两百万。
    Zhè ge chéng shì yǒu yì qiān liǎng bǎi wàn rén kǒu.
    This city has a population of 12 million.
  • 一千两百万。
    Tā men gōng sī qù nián zhuàn le yì qiān liǎng bǎi wàn.
    Their company earned 12 million last year.
  • 一千两百万。
    Zhè tào fáng zi jià zhí yì qiān liǎng bǎi wàn.
    This house is worth 12 million.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

一 is drawn as one horizontal stroke, marking the number one.

Open 一 →

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 兩; 两 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 兩 is described as combining 一 and 㒳. The simplified 两 is a later abbreviation.

Open 两 →

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
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.

Open 百 →

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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