半
bàn
In Chinese, 'half' is expressed as 半 (bàn). Wiktionary also lists 一半 (yībàn).
Meaning: one of two roughly equal parts into which anything may be divided (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 半 | bàn |
| 一半 | yībàn |
半 refers to one of two roughly equal parts into which anything may be divided. When used in the context of telling time, 半 is placed after the unit of time, such as in 十點半 (ten-thirty).
Which one should you use?
The single character 半 is typically used as an adjective or adverb to modify nouns or time. In contrast, 一半 is used as a noun to refer to the concept of 'a half'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to 'half of something' as a noun phrase, use 一半 instead of just 半. If you are using 半 as an adjective for a countable noun, it is often followed by a measure word, such as 半个 (half a/an).
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is bàn.
When do people say it?
The expression 半天 (Bàn tian) literally means 'half a day', but it is frequently used to mean 'quite a while' or 'a long time'.
Did you know?
- The character 半 is an ideogrammatic compound that depicts the act of dividing a cow into two parts using the components for 'eight' (八) and 'cow' (牛).
- While 半天 literally means 'half a day', it is used hyperbolically to describe any long wait, even if it only lasts ten minutes.
- The component 八 in the character 半 represents 'eight' in modern Chinese, but in this ancient context, it was a pictograph for 'to divide'.
Examples in context
- 現在十點半。It's now half past ten.This example is useful for seeing how to express the time using 半.Tatoeba #13513731 by LeviHighway, translation #11996876 by sundown
- 我要半條鮭魚。I want half of a salmon.This sentence shows the use of 半 with a noun.Tatoeba #9203441 by xjjAstrus, translation #9286783 by Ivan24
- 我想买半个蛋糕。I'd like to buy half a cake.This sentence demonstrates how to use 半 with a measure word for a countable noun.Tatoeba #5863296 by verdastelo9604, translation #681128 by Source_VOA
- bàn xiǎoshí (半小时)Half an hour
- bàn nián (半年)Half a year
- 70 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yuting and Junjie are sharing a pizza.
- 雨婷 Yuting這個披薩分你半個吧。Zhège pīsā fēn nǐ bàn gè ba.I'll give you half of this pizza.
- 俊杰 Junjie太好了，謝謝雨婷！Tài hǎole, xièxiè Yǔtíng!Great, thank you Yuting!
- 雨婷 Yuting我也只要半個，我不餓。Wǒ yě zhǐ yào bàn gè, wǒ bù è.I only want half too, I'm not hungry.
- 俊杰 Junjie那我們就平分吧。Nà wǒmen jiù píngfēn ba.Then let's just split it evenly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “half” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 半, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
