Chinese word

大约

Pronunciation

Pinyindà yuē

Meaning

  • adverbabout

Example

我们大约八点出发。wǒ men dà yuē bā diǎn chū fā

We leave at about eight o'clock.

Illustration for 大约 (about)

More examples

火车大约晚点二十分钟。huǒ chē dà yuē wán diǎn èr shí fēn zhōng

The train is about twenty minutes late.

Core concept

A soft-edged estimate around a time, count, or amount, with the exact point left open.

Common phrases

  • 大约三十分钟dà yuē sān shí fēn zhōng

    about thirty minutes

  • 大约十个人dà yuē shí gè rén

    about ten people

  • 大约三点dà yuē sān diǎn

    about three o'clock

Similar words

差不多chà bu duō: Shows that a number, degree, or amount is nearly the same, with little difference.
大概dà gài: Gives an approximate number or amount when the exact figure is not known.
左右zuǒ yòu: Follows a number or time to show a range around it.

Definition in Chinese

用来表示对某事或某数的粗略估算，常用于表示时间、人数或数量的大致值，而非精确数字。yòng lái biǎo shì duì mǒu shì huò mǒu shù de cū lüè gū suàn cháng yòng yú biǎo shì shí jiān rén shù huò shù liàng de dà zhì zhí ér fēi jīng què shù zì

Word origin

大 (dà, "great") + 约 (yuē, "approximately") forms a stronger expression for an approximate amount.

Usage tips

  • English about can introduce a topic, as in a book about space, but this Chinese adverb marks an estimated time, number, or amount.

Other meanings

  • nearlyadverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word