Prepositional PhraseHSK 5
Defining upper and lower limits
Use 以上 (yǐshàng) after a number or level to mean “that amount or more,” and 以下 (yǐxià) to mean “that amount or less.” In practice, whether the specified number itself is included can be ambiguous, so context matters.
Structure
Amount / Level + 以上 / 以下
In formal usage, 以上 is usually inclusive of the given amount, while 以下 is exclusive; however, speakers are not always strict about this.
Examples
- 十岁以下的孩子不用买票。Shí suì yǐxià de háizi bùyòng mǎi piào.Children under the age of 10 do not need to buy tickets.
- 我们需要有两年以上工作经验的人。Wǒmen xūyào yǒu liǎng nián yǐshàng gōngzuò jīngyàn de rén.We need people with two years of working experience or more.
- 我老家空气还不错，PM2.5一般在五十以下。Wǒ lǎojiā kōngqì hái bùcuò, PM èr diǎn wǔ yībān zài wǔshí yǐxià.The air in my hometown is good. The PM 2.5 level is generally under 50.
- 这里的冬天气温都在零度以下。Zhèlǐ de dōngtiān qìwēn dōu zài língdù yǐxià.The winter temperatures here go below zero.
- 我们出差都住三星级以上的酒店。Wǒmen chūchāi dōu zhù sān xīngjí yǐshàng de jiǔdiàn.When we go on business trips, we stay at hotels with above a 3-star rating.