Chinese word

若干

Pronunciation

Pinyinruò gān

Meaning

  • numberseveral

Example

会议上有若干人提出了意见。huì yì shàng yǒu ruò gān rén tí chū le yì jiàn

Several people expressed their opinions at the meeting.

Illustration for 若干 (several)

More examples

调查显示存在若干差异，需要进一步分析。diào chá xiǎn shì cún zài ruò gān chā yì xū yào jìn yí bù fēn xī

The survey shows that there are several differences, requiring further analysis.

Core concept

A quantity or extent is acknowledged while its precise boundary stays open.

Common phrases

  • 若干问题ruò gān wèn tí

    several problems

  • 若干差异ruò gān chā yì

    several differences

  • 若干因素ruò gān yīn sù

    several factors

Similar words

一些yì xiē: Some amount or number that is not specified and is usually small.
好几háo jǐ: A few or several, with a casual spoken tone.
许多xǔ duō: Many people, things, or units without an exact number being given.

Definition in Chinese

表示数量或程度的不确定，指存在一定数量或程度但具体多少不明；可作数量词或副词使用。biǎo shì shù liàng huò chéng dù de bú què dìng zhǐ cún zài yí dìng shù liàng huò chéng dù dàn jù tǐ duō shǎo bù míng kě zuò shù liàng cí huò fù cí shǐ yòng

Word origin

The Classical Chinese expression 若干 (ruògān, "how many") originally left the requested count open and later broadened to cover any amount or degree that remains unmeasured.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this word can sound formal or written, so casual speech often uses a more specific quantity expression when the number is known.

Other meanings

  • somewhatadverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word