English–Chinese
“abacus” in Chinese
Chinese
Pronunciation
Pinyinsuàn pán
Example
他小时候常用算盘练习算术。tā xiǎo shí hòu cháng yòng suàn pán liàn xí suàn shù
He often used an abacus to practice arithmetic when he was a child.
How to say “abacus” in Chinese
“Abacus” in Chinese is 算盘 (suàn pán).
A hand-operated number board where movable beads mark place values, with the same image extending to careful calculation and advance planning.
Example sentences with 算盘
老板表面客气，心里有算盘。láo bǎn biǎo miàn kè qì xīn lǐ yǒu suàn pán
The boss is polite on the surface, but has his own plans in mind.
Tips for using 算盘
- 把 (bǎ, "handle classifier") in 一把算盘 (yì bǎ suànpán, "one abacus") is a measure word for the object, not the separate 把 (bǎ, "take or handle") pattern used in many sentences.