乘
chéng
In Chinese, the phrase 'multiply' is expressed as 乘 (chéng).
The verb 乘 is used to perform the action of multiplication. You can use the phrase 乘以 when you want to say 'multiply [number] by [number]'.
Meaning: to perform multiplication (verb)
Which one should you use?
The term 相乘 is a formal term for expressing multiplication that emphasizes the action of multiplying two or more numbers together. Additionally, 乘法 translates to "multiplication" in English.
How do you pronounce it?
chéng
Did you know?
- The word 乘 has a double meaning in Chinese, as it is used both for 'multiply' in mathematics and for 'to ride' or 'to take' a bus or train.
- The character used for 'multiply', 乘, originally depicted a person climbing a tree. This ancient pictogram has nothing to do with mathematics and instead showed a person ascending a trunk.
- While 乘法 is the noun for 'multiplication', the character 乘 is also used in the phrase 乘机, meaning 'to take advantage of an opportunity'.
Examples in context
- 5 乘以 3 等于 155 multiplied by 3 equals 15
- 把这两个数字乘在一起Multiply these two numbers together
- 三乘以五等于十五Three times five equals fifteen
- 把这两个数字乘起来。Bǎ zhè liǎng gè shùzì chéng qǐlái.Multiply these two numbers.
- 我们要用五乘三。Wǒmen yào yòng wǔ chéng sān.We need to multiply five by three.
Example conversation
Two students are studying math together.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen浩然，这道题怎么做？hào rán, zhè dào tí zěn me zuòHaoran, how do I do this problem?
- 浩然 Haoran你要把这两个数相乘。nǐ yào bǎ zhè liǎng gè shù xiāng chéngYou need to multiply these two numbers.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen结果是十五吗？jié guǒ shì shí wǔ maIs the result fifteen?
- 浩然 Haoran对，晓雯，你算对了。duì, xiǎo wén, nǐ suàn duì leYes, Xiaowen, you calculated it correctly.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 乘, CC BY-SA 4.0.
