不计其数 (bù jì qí shù) — countless; innumerable

Definition

Idiom meaning 'too many to count' — stronger than 很多, more literary than 数不清. Usually placed before a noun (不计其数的人) or used predicatively (损失不计其数).

idiom

countlessinnumerable

不计其数。
Xiàn chǎng de rén bù jì qí shù.
The people at the scene were countless.
不计其数。
Tā shōu jí le bù jì qí shù de shū jí.
He collected countless books.
不计其数。
Dì zhèn zào chéng de sǔn shī bù jì qí shù.
The losses caused by the earthquake were incalculable.

Characters in this word

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 計; 计 is its simplified writing.

言十計

The traditional form 計 pairs 言 (say) with 十 (all). The simplified 计 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical shape.

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

The modern form 其 comes from an early drawing of a basket, with a stand added underneath.

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.

Appears in