亿 () — 100 million

Definition

Examples

  • Zhè ge chéng shì yǒu chāo guò yí yì rén kǒu.
    This city has a population of over 100 million.
  • Tā zuì jìn zhuàn le yí yì měi yuán.
    He recently made 100 million dollars.
  • Zhè cì tóu zī xū yào jǐ shí yì yuán.
    This investment requires several billion yuan.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
Sound part声符shēngfú
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.

Grammar

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