十二三 (shí èr sān) — about twelve or thirteen (used for approximate age, quantity, etc.)

Definition

A colloquial approximate number meaning 'about twelve or thirteen'. Unlike 十几 (teens in general) or 二十多 (twenties-plus), it pins the range to the 12–13 band — common for ages and small quantities.

numeral
about twelve or thirteen (used for approximate age, quantity, etc.)

Examples

  • 十二三。
    Nà ge nán hái kàn qǐ lái shí èr sān suì.
    That boy looks about twelve or thirteen years old.
  • 十二三。
    Jiào shì lǐ zhǐ yǒu shí èr sān gè rén.
    There are only about twelve or thirteen people in the classroom.
  • 十二三。
    Tā shí èr sān suì jiù kāi shǐ xué gāng qín le.
    She started learning piano when she was about twelve or thirteen.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

十二twelve
十shíten二èrtwo
联合Side by side
三sānthree

十二 and 三 stand together to give the approximate number twelve or thirteen.

Characters in this word

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 →

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

二 is drawn as two parallel strokes, where the number of strokes shows the amount.

Open 二 →

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

三 is drawn as three parallel strokes, like 一 with one stroke and 二 with two.

Open 三 →

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