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Decimals, Fractions, Percentages, and Multiples in Chinese
Learn the standard patterns for reading decimal numbers, expressing parts of a whole, stating percentages, and comparing quantities with 倍. See how word order and context shape each meaning.
这本词典卖三十五点八元。
The digits after 点 are read individually.
Read the full explanation and examples
Four ways to express numerical relationships
This lesson covers the HSK level 4 outline point on decimal numbers, fractions, percentages, and multiples. The outline establishes the topic and level; it does not establish which version of an examination is currently administered at a particular test centre. The four forms describe different things: a measured or calculated number, a part of a whole, a rate out of one hundred, or a comparison between quantities. Choose the form that matches the relationship you intend to describe.
- Use a decimal for a value such as a price, distance, or measurement.
- Use a fraction to state how many parts of a whole are being counted.
- Use a percentage for a rate or share expressed out of one hundred.
- Use 倍 to compare one quantity with another; make the baseline clear.
Decimals: say 点 between the whole and fractional parts
Read the whole-number part, then 点, then each decimal digit separately: 3.14 is 三点一四, not 三点十四. When the whole-number part is zero, the clear standard form includes 零: 0.05 is 零点零五. Preserve zero digits after the point. A unit follows the complete number, as in 三十五点八元.
这本词典卖三十五点八元。
The digits after 点 are read individually.
这条路长二点五公里，走路大约要半小时。
二点五 is the decimal measurement. 大约 is an approximate-time expression included for a natural situation, not taught here as a target form.
Fractions: put the denominator first
Put the denominator before 分之 and the numerator after it: 三分之一 is one third. To name a part of a particular whole, use whole + 的 + fraction, as in 这块蛋糕的三分之一. To describe a share of a group, fraction + 的 + group is also possible: 三分之一的学生. The order of 的 depends on what the phrase is doing; the denominator-first rule stays the same.
我只吃了这块蛋糕的三分之一。
三分之一 means one third; the denominator comes before 分之.
Percentages: 百分之 introduces the value
To express a percentage, place 百分之 before the number: 百分之六十八 means sixty-eight percent. In a sentence, the percentage can modify a noun with 的, as in 百分之六十八的学生, or describe a rate with a noun such as 退货率. The amount after 百分之 is the percentage value, not the number of items being counted. Compare a fraction and a percentage by asking whether the speaker gives a part-over-whole relationship or states that relationship on a scale of one hundred.
调查中，百分之六十八的学生每天读中文。
百分之六十八 gives the percentage; 的 links it to 学生.
这次的退货率不到百分之二。
百分之二 means two percent; 不到 means below.
Multiples: compare against a stated baseline
倍 expresses how many times one quantity is another. In the pattern A 是 B 的两倍, A is twice as large in quantity as B; B is the comparison baseline. The noun or measure being compared should be clear from context, and stating it explicitly helps avoid confusion. The same frame works with other number words, such as 三倍. Avoid translating 倍 in isolation: the complete comparison tells you which quantity is being measured against which.
新教室的座位数是旧教室的两倍。
The comparison is the number of seats; the old classroom is the baseline.
Frequently asked questions
Which number comes first in a Chinese fraction?
The denominator comes first, followed by 分之 and then the numerator: 三分之一 is one third.
How do I read digits after 点?
Read them one by one. In 三十五点八, the decimal digit is 八.
How can I tell what a multiple is compared with?
In A 是 B 的两倍, B is the baseline, before 的; 两倍 comes after 的. For 40 seats compared with 20 seats, 40 is twice 20.
