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八成 (bā chéng) — (quantifier) eighty percent; (adverb) most probably, most likely

Definition

As a quantifier, 八成 means 'eighty percent' (more precise than 大约 'about'). As an adverb it means 'most probably' — very similar to 多半, both common in speech.

quantifier
eighty percent
adverb
most probablymost likely

Examples

  • 八成。
    Tiān qì yù bào shuō bā chéng huì xià yǔ.
    The weather forecast says there's an 80% chance of rain.
  • 八成。
    Tā bā chéng yǐ jīng bǎ zhè jiàn shì wàng le.
    He has most probably already forgotten about this.
  • 八成。
    Zhè ge xiàng mù de wán chéng lǜ yǐ jīng dá dào bā chéng le.
    The completion rate of this project has already reached 80%.

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.

八bāeight
成chéngtenths

八 (eight) and 成 (tenths) combine to mean eight tenths, hence eighty percent or most likely.

Characters in this word

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

八 shows two bent lines, indicating the original meaning 'to divide'; it was later used for 'eight' because the words sounded alike.

Open 八 →

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
戊戊wù
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng成chéng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

成 puts 戊, a weapon, beside 丁, which gives the sound. The weapon part relates to protection, as in the old sense of city walls.

Open 成 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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