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成千上百 (chéng qiān shàng bǎi) — thousands upon thousands; a great number

Definition

An idiomatic set phrase meaning 'thousands upon thousands' — emphasizes huge quantity in a vivid, somewhat literary way, stronger than plain 很多.

numeral
thousands upon thousandsa great number

Examples

  • 成千上百。
    chéng qiān shàng bǎi De rén cān jiā le zhè cì huó dòng.
    Thousands upon thousands of people participated in this event.
  • 成千上百。
    Tā huā le chéng qiān shàng bǎi gè xiǎo shí lái xué xí zhōng wén.
    He spent thousands of hours learning Chinese.
  • 成千上百。
    Zhè ge chéng shì měi nián xī yǐn chéng qiān shàng bǎi de yóu kè.
    This city attracts thousands upon thousands of tourists every year.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

成千reach thousands
成chéngbecome; reach千qiānthousand
动宾Verb + object
上百exceed hundreds
上shàngup; exceed百bǎihundred
动宾Verb + object

成 千 reaches thousands, 上 百 exceeds hundreds, together giving a very large number.

Characters in this word

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 →

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
一一yīone, signifying a number
Sound part声符shēngfú
人
人rén千qiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

千 pairs 人, whose sound was similar, with 一, a number stroke; the extra line was explained as extension, and a thousand is a number reached by extending counting.

Open 千 →

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

上 is drawn as a short horizontal line placed above a longer arc, marking a position above that arc.

Open 上 →

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
一一yī
Sound part声符shēngfú
白
白bái百bǎi
Same sound today

百 combines 一, which carries the number meaning, with 白, which provides the sound.

Open 百 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesNumbers & CountingQuantity & Amount

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