许多 (xǔ duō) — many; a lot of; much | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Many; a lot of. More formal than 多, and typically used for countable things (许多人) rather than to ask 'how many?' or in comparisons.

numeral

manya lot ofmuch

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

许 and 多 both carry the idea of many, so together they mean many or a lot.

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 許; 许 is its simplified writing.

言午許

Meaning part形符xíngfú

言言yánspeech; words

Sound part声符shēngfú

午

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

The traditional form 許 pairs 言, meaning speech or words, with 午 for its sound; 许 is a simplified form.

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

多 originally showed two pieces of meat placed together; the repeated meat shape gives the sense of many.

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