Chinese word

许多

Pronunciation

Pinyinxǔ duō

Meaning

  • pronounmany

Example

我有许多朋友。wǒ yǒu xǔ duō péng yǒu

I have many friends.

Illustration for 许多 (many)

More examples

他在考试中遇到许多问题。tā zài kǎo shì zhōng yù dào xǔ duō wèn tí

He encountered many problems on the exam.

Core concept

A large, uncounted quantity viewed as one broad group rather than counted item by item.

Common phrases

  • 许多朋友xǔ duō péng yǒu

    many friends

  • 许多问题xǔ duō wèn tí

    many problems

  • 许多时间xǔ duō shí jiān

    much time

Similar words

很多hěn duō: A common everyday way to express a large, unspecified number or amount.
不少bù shǎo: A fairly large number or amount, emphasizing that it is far from small.

Definition in Chinese

表示不指明具体数字的较大数量，可独立作代词（如“我有许多”）或放在名词前修饰名词。biǎo shì bù zhǐ míng jù tǐ shù zì de jiào dà shù liàng kě dú lì zuò dài cí rú wǒ yǒu xǔ duō huò fàng zài míng cí qián xiū shì míng cí

Word origin

许 (xǔ, "a considerable amount") + 多 (duō, "many") forms a compound that marks a quantity as both substantial and not counted exactly.

Usage tips

  • When the noun is already clear, this word can stand alone as the quantity phrase, making short answers and replies complete in Chinese.

Opposites

Word lists with this word