一百万
yībǎiwàn
The English phrase "one million" is translated into Chinese as 一百万 (yībǎiwàn).
The phrase is used to express the number that is one thousand times one thousand.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Mandarin-speaking areas, the expression bǎi e is used to mean a hundred ten-thousands.
How does it change in a sentence?
In many contexts, the 一百 (one hundred) prefix can be omitted, leaving just 百万 to mean "million".
How do you pronounce it?
yībǎiwàn
Did you know?
- In Chinese, the word 万 is so culturally ingrained as a 'large number' that the phrase 万岁 (ten thousand years) is used to say 'long live' to a leader.
- When writing 一百万 on checks or legal documents, Chinese speakers use 'complex' characters like 佰 and 萬 to prevent fraudsters from adding extra strokes to change the amount.
- The character 万 (ten thousand) was once used in ancient Chinese to simply mean 'a very large number' or 'infinity' rather than a specific digit.
Examples in context
- 他把一百万美元分给他五个儿子。He divided one million dollars among his five sons.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use 一百万 when referring to a specific amount of money.Tatoeba #10449675 by GlossaMatik, translation #288347 by CK
- 这个房子价值一百万。Zhège fángzi jiàzhí yìbǎi wàn.This house is worth one million.
- 那里有一百万颗星星。Nàlǐ yǒu yìbǎi wàn kē xīngxing.There are one million stars there.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a lottery prize.
- 佳怡 Jiayi如果你中奖，想怎么花这一百万？Rúguǒ nǐ zhòngjiǎng, xiǎng zěnme huā zhè yībǎiwàn?If you win the prize, how do you want to spend this one million?
- 伟 Wei我想买一套大房子。Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yī tào dà fángzi.I want to buy a big house.
- 佳怡 Jiayi一百万够买大房子吗？Yībǎiwàn gòu mǎi dà fángzi ma?Is one million enough to buy a big house?
- 伟 Wei在小城市应该是够的。Zài xiǎo chéngshì yīnggāi shì gòu de.It should be enough in a small city.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
