十二分 (shí èr fēn) — 120 percent; more than 100 percent; extremely

Definition

Used as an adverbial intensifier meaning 'extremely / 120%' before an adjective or verb (十二分满意, 十二分努力). It is a fixed set phrase, not a literal number.

noun
120 percentmore than 100 percentextremely

Examples

  • 十二分。
    Wǒ duì zhè ge jié guǒ gǎn dào shí èr fēn mǎn yì.
    I am extremely satisfied with this result.
  • 十二分。
    Tā fù chū le shí èr fēn de nǔ lì cái chéng gōng.
    He put in 120% effort to succeed.
  • 十二分。
    Zhè cì kǎo shì tā zhǔn bèi le shí èr fēn chōng fèn.
    He prepared more than adequately for this exam.

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.

十二twelve
十shíten二èrtwo
联合Side by side
分fēnpoint

In 十二分, 十二 gives twelve and 分 gives point, so it reaches twelve points, i.e. 120 percent or extreme.

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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

分 pairs 八 (to separate) with 刀 (knife), showing something cut apart with a knife.

Open 分 →

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