TongTong
Sign in

几十 (jǐ shí) — several tens; dozens

Definition

numeral
several tensdozens

Examples

  • 。
    Tā huā le jǐ shí wàn yuán mǎi zhè liàng chē.
    He spent several tens of thousands of yuan to buy this car.
  • 几十。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī yǒu jǐ shí míng yuán gōng.
    This company has several tens of employees.
  • 几十。
    Tā xiě le jǐ shí piān lùn wén.
    He wrote several tens of papers.

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.

几jǐseveral
十shíten

几十 puts 几 (several) with 十 (ten) to mean dozens.

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 幾; 几 is its simplified writing.

  • 𢆶𢆶𢆶silk threads; little things
  • 戍戍shùto guard against

The traditional form 幾 puts 𢆶 (silk threads; little things) and 戍 (to guard against) together to show watching over the fine details; the simplified 几 is a later abbreviation.

Open 几 →

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

The early shape 十 was mostly a single vertical stroke, sometimes with a dot, and later gained a horizontal stroke to form a cross. For the number ten, it marked the next digit above one.

Open 十 →
Appears in
Numbers & Counting

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.