半数 (bàn shù) — half the number; half (of a group) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

半数 specifically means 'half (of a group/count)' and refers to a quantity of people or things. Unlike 半 or 一半, which can modify measures or fractions, 半数 is used as a noun for roughly half of a set.

noun

half the numberhalf (of a group)

Examples

半数。
bàn shù De xuǎn mín tóu le fǎn duì piào.
Half of the voters cast opposing votes.
半数。
Chāo guò bàn shù de qǐ yè yǐ jīng shí xiàn le yíng lì.
More than half of the enterprises have already turned a profit.
半数。
Zhè cì kǎo shì yǒu bàn shù de xué shēng méi yǒu jí gé.
Half of the students didn't pass 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.

半 means half and 数 means number; together they mean half of a total.

Characters in this word

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

八八bāto divide
牛牛niúcow

The shape pairs 八 (to divide) with 牛 (cow), showing a cow cut into two halves.

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 數; 数 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

攴攴pū

Sound part声符shēngfú

婁

婁lóu數shù(r)

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 數 pairs 攴, the meaning part, with 婁, the sound part; the simplified 数 is a shorthand.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Quantity & Amount

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