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数百 (shù bǎi) — several hundred; hundreds of

Definition

数百 means 'several hundred' — written/formal and quantifies a vague count, not an exact figure. Pairs with a measure word (数百人, 数百种) and is more literary than everyday 几百.

numeral
several hundredhundreds of

Examples

  • 数百。
    Yǒu shù bǎi rén cān jiā le zhè cì huó dòng.
    Several hundred people took part in this event.
  • 数百。
    Tā de shū bèi fān yì chéng shù bǎi zhǒng yǔ yán.
    His book has been translated into several hundred languages.
  • 数百。
    Zhè ge chéng shì yǒu shù bǎi nián de lì shǐ.
    This city has a history of several hundred years.

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.

数shùseveral
百bǎihundred

数 gives 'several' and 百 gives 'hundred', so it means several hundred.

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.

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.

Open 数 →

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
Numbers & Counting

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