# Chinese Approximate Numbers: Adjacent Number Words | HSKReady Canonical: https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-3-number-expressions-g096 Language: en Content ID: web-grammar-hsk-3-g096 HSK levels: 3 Updated: 2026-10-23T04:56:01.720Z Scope: published website educational content; full vocabulary, question bank and mock exams remain in the app. Learn how adjacent Chinese number words express an approximate quantity, with examples, useful contrasts, and a clear correction. Grammar [HSK 3 · Special expressions › Number expressions](https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-3#hsk-3-g096) # Adjacent Number Words for Approximate Quantities In Chinese, two nearby number words can appear together to give an approximate quantity. Learn the common patterns, where they fit naturally, and how to distinguish an estimate from an exact count. 这件衣服 三四百块钱。 Example sentence 这件衣服三四百块钱。 Zhè jiàn yīfu sān sì bǎi kuài qián. This piece of clothing costs around three or four hundred yuan. This is an estimate, not an exact price. A common mistake × 这件衣服四百三百块钱。 Zhè jiàn yīfu sì bǎi sān bǎi kuài qián. Incorrect in this context. Replace 四百三百 with 三四百: 这件衣服三四百块钱。 For this approximate price, use 三四百. The error does not establish a ban on listing distinct exact prices in a different context. Corrected example: 这件衣服三四百块钱。 **Read the full explanation and examples** ## Meaning: a small range or rough amount The outline places this point under number expressions: adjacent number words can be used together to indicate an approximate quantity. The number is not presented as an exact count. Depending on the context and the numbers used, listeners may understand a small range or a rough amount around that range. This lesson focuses on that listed point; it does not claim to cover every way Chinese can express approximation. For example, 三四百 suggests roughly three or four hundred. It is useful when a speaker remembers the general amount but does not need, or cannot give, an exact figure. The same kind of estimate can describe prices, time, distance, and other quantities. ## Form: put the neighboring numbers together A common pattern is two neighboring numbers followed by a unit or measure: 三四百块钱, 两三百米, or 三四个月. Keep the numbers in their natural ascending order. In these examples, the pair gives the listener an approximate scale; the unit tells what is being counted or measured. 这件衣服三四百块钱。 Zhè jiàn yīfu sān sì bǎi kuài qián. This piece of clothing costs around three or four hundred yuan. This is an estimate, not an exact price. 七八个人 uses adjacent 七 and 八. 二三十分钟 similarly means roughly twenty or thirty minutes, not only values in the twenties. 十几个人 is another approximate expression, but 十 + 几 is not a pair of adjacent numeral words. Keep that distinction clear when identifying this specific outline point. ## Use it when an estimate is enough Use adjacent number words in ordinary conversation when an exact amount is not important or is not known. A speaker might estimate a clothing price, the number of people at a meeting, or how long a journey takes. If a form sounds unnatural for a particular unit or situation, use a clearer alternative such as an exact number when known, or a general estimate word. The neighboring-number pattern itself does not make every possible number pair suitable. - 三四百块钱 estimates a price in the three-to-four-hundred range. - 七八个人 gives a rough count of seven or eight people. - 二三十分钟 estimates around twenty or thirty minutes, not a precise 20–29 interval. - 两三百米 estimates a distance in the low hundreds. ## Examples in context 会议室里有七八个人。 Huìyìshì lǐ yǒu qī bā ge rén. There are about seven or eight people in the meeting room. 七 and 八 are adjacent numbers. The expression gives a rough count, not a claim that only exactly seven or exactly eight is possible. 从我家到学校要走二三十分钟。 Cóng wǒ jiā dào xuéxiào yào zǒu èr sān shí fēnzhōng. It takes about twenty or thirty minutes to walk from my home to school. The adjacent numbers give an approximate duration. 这家饭店离地铁站两三百米。 Zhè jiā fàndiàn lí dìtiězhàn liǎng sān bǎi mǐ. This restaurant is two or three hundred meters from the subway station. The distance is approximate. 我在北京住了三四个月。 Wǒ zài Běijīng zhù le sān sì ge yuè. I lived in Beijing for three or four months. The length of stay is given as an approximate range. × 这件衣服四百三百块钱。 Zhè jiàn yīfu sì bǎi sān bǎi kuài qián. Incorrect in this context. Replace 四百三百 with 三四百: 这件衣服三四百块钱。 For this approximate price, use 三四百. The error does not establish a ban on listing distinct exact prices in a different context. Corrected example: 这件衣服三四百块钱。 ## Approximate versus exact Compare an estimate with a precise count. 三四百块钱 leaves the amount approximate; 四百块钱 states four hundred yuan as the figure. Neither is inherently better: use the precise form when that is what you know and want to say. Adjacent number words are not a substitute for an exact figure when precision matters. In the intended estimate, put the adjacent numerals in familiar ascending order and share the place-value word: 三四百, not 四百三百. Distinguish 三四百 (roughly 300 or 400) from 三百四十 (340), and 二三十 (roughly 20 or 30) from 二百三十 (230). Context can list two exact prices separately, but the unseparated 四百三百 here does not form the target estimate. ## Frequently asked questions **Does an adjacent-number expression give an exact count?** No. It presents an approximate amount or range. Use a precise number when you know the exact figure and need to communicate it. **Can I join any two numbers this way?** No. The pattern is context-sensitive. Use familiar neighboring-number forms that suit the quantity and unit, and choose a clearer wording if the pair would be confusing. **Source**[hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com · PDF page 394](https://hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com/3.0/%E6%96%B0%E7%89%88HSK%E8%80%83%E8%AF%95%E5%A4%A7%E7%BA%B21219.pdf#page=394) ## Continue in the app Full mock exams are available in HSKReady. [![Download on the App Store](https://hskready.app/download-on-app-store-black.svg)Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6791916440?l=en)[![Get it on Google Play](https://hskready.app/get-it-on-google-play.svg)Get it on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.curiolab.hskready&hl=en) [HSKReady App](https://hskready.app/en/app)