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无数 (wú shù) — countless, numberless

Definition

Means 'too many to count.' Pairs with a classifier and noun (∼无数种, 无数次) for 'countless kinds/times.' Stronger than 无限 ('unlimited, boundless'), which describes something without limits rather than a huge countable amount.

adjective
countlessnumberless
Easily confused

Examples

  • 无数。
    Tā dú guò wú shù běn shū.
    He has read countless books.
  • 无数。
    Zhè ge wèn tí yǒu wú shù zhǒng dá àn.
    This question has countless answers.
  • 无数。
    Wǒ zuò guò wú shù cì huǒ chē.
    I have taken countless trains.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

无wúno/without
数shùcount

The sense comes from 无 (no/without) plus 数 (count), giving beyond counting.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Quantity & Amount5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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