两千亿 (liǎng qiān yì) — two hundred billion (200,000,000,000)

Definition

Literally 'two thousand hundred-million' = 2 × 10¹¹, i.e. two hundred billion in the short scale (US). In Mainland China the long scale is used, so 两千亿 equals 2,000亿 = 200,000,000,000, not two trillion. Note 万亿 (10¹²) is the next step up.

numeral
two hundred billion (200,000,000,000)

Examples

  • 两千亿。
    Zuì jìn guó jiā tóu zī le liǎng qiān yì fā zhǎn xīn néng yuán.
    The country recently invested 200 billion to develop new energy.
  • 两千亿。
    Gōng sī de shì zhí dá dào le liǎng qiān yì rén mín bì.
    The company's market value reached 200 billion RMB.
  • 两千亿。
    Tā juān le liǎng qiān yì gěi cí shàn jī gòu.
    He donated 200 billion to charity organizations.

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.

两千two thousand
两liǎngtwo千qiānthousand
偏正Modifier + head
亿yìhundred million

两千 means two thousand and 亿 means hundred million; together they express two hundred billion.

Characters in this word

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
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 →

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 →

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