Chinese word

左右

Pronunciation

Pinyinzuǒ yòu

Meaning

  • adverbabout

Example

公司有三十人左右。gōng sī yǒu sān shí rén zuǒ yòu

The company has about 30 people.

Illustration for 左右 (about)

More examples

会议大概在十点左右结束。huì yì dà gài zài shí diǎn zuǒ yòu jié shù

The meeting will probably end at about ten o'clock.

Core concept

What surrounds a center can be a pair of sides, a nearby range, or the power that steers a result.

Common phrases

  • 十分钟左右shí fēn zhōng zuǒ yòu

    about ten minutes

  • 三十人左右sān shí rén zuǒ yòu

    about thirty people

  • 一公里左右yì gōng lǐ zuǒ yòu

    about one kilometer

Similar words

差不多chà bu duō: Shows that an amount or degree is nearly the same, with little difference.
大约dà yuē: Placed before a number or time, gives an approximate figure.
大概dà gài: Gives a rough idea of an amount or how likely something is.

Definition in Chinese

放在数词或量词后，表示估计值或不精确的范围，含有上下浮动的意思。fàng zài shù cí huò liàng cí hòu biǎo shì gū jì zhí huò bù jīng què de fàn wéi hán yǒu shàng xià fú dòng de yì si

Word origin

左 (zuǒ, "left") + 右 (yòu, "right") names the two sides, and their pairing extends from physical sides to a range around a number or the power to steer something.

Usage tips

  • The estimate marker follows the numeral or measure phrase, so the Chinese order places it after the amount rather than before it.

Other meanings

  • both sidesnoun
  • influenceverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word