Chinese word

最多

Pronunciation

Pinyinzuì duō

Meaning

  • adverbat most

Example

这个会议最多有50个人参加。zhè ge huì yì zuì duō yǒu 50 gè rén cān jiā

At most 50 people attend this meeting.

Illustration for 最多 (at most)

More examples

我帮你跑两趟，最多也就一小时。wǒ bāng nǐ pǎo liǎng tàng zuì duō yě jiù yì xiǎo shí

I will make two trips for you, and it will take at most one hour.

Core concept

Marks the ceiling of a number or degree, while leaving open the possibility of a smaller result.

Common phrases

  • 最多也就zuì duō yě jiù

    at most

  • 最多能zuì duō néng

    can at most

Similar words

顶多dǐng duō: Gives a conversational upper limit, often suggesting that the real amount may be lower.
至多zhì duō: States in formal language that an amount or degree will be no higher than a set limit.

Definition in Chinese

作副词或形容词，表示不超过某一数量或程度，相当于“不超过”“至多”，通常放在动词或数词之前以限定上限。zuò fù cí huò xíng róng cí biǎo shì bù chāo guò mǒu yí shù liàng huò chéng dù xiāng dāng yú bù chāo guò zhì duō tōng cháng fàng zài dòng cí huò shù cí zhī qián yǐ xiàn dìng shàng xiàn

Word origin

最 (zuì, "most") + 多 (duō, "many") combines the ideas of the greatest rank and a large amount to create a maximum limit.

Usage tips

  • English "most" can describe the largest amount actually present, but this word can mark a ceiling that the real amount does not reach.

Other meanings

  • mostadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word