百分之二 (bǎi fēn zhī èr) — (classifier) two percent

Definition

百分之二 is a fixed percentage expression meaning 'two percent' — always written in characters, never numerals. Use it for statistics, rates, and proportions (e.g., 增长百分之二, 百分之二的人).

classifier
two percent

Examples

  • 百分之二。
    Zhǐ yǒu bǎi fēn zhī èr de rén xǐ huan zhè ge yán sè.
    Only two percent of people like this color.
  • 百分之二。
    Gōng sī jīn nián zēng zhǎng le bǎi fēn zhī èr.
    The company grew by two percent this year.
  • 百分之二。
    Kǎo shì chéng jì tí gāo le bǎi fēn zhī èr.
    The exam scores improved by two percent.

Origin

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
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 →

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 →

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

The shape pairs 止, a foot, with 一, a beginning place, and means to go.

Open 之 →

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 →

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