印尼盾
Yìnní dùn
The phrase for rupiah in Mandarin is 印尼盾 (Yìnní dùn).
印尼盾 is used to refer to the rupiah, which is the official currency of Indonesia.
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of 印尼 (Yìnní), the Chinese name for Indonesia and 盾 (dùn), which refers to a unit of currency or a shield/unit of value.
How do you pronounce it?
Yìnní dùn
Did you know?
- The use of 盾 (dùn) for the 'rupiah' is inherited from the Chinese translation of the 'gulden', reflecting Indonesia's colonial history with the Dutch.
- The word for 'rupiah' shares its main character with the idiom 盾矛 (dùn máo), which describes a logical paradox involving a spear and a shield.
- While most currencies in Mandarin use 元 (yuán) for 'unit', the 'rupiah' is a rare exception that uses the character for 'shield'.
Examples in context
- 一美元可以兑换两卢比。One US dollar can be exchanged for two rupiahs.
- 请问您能告诉我一美元兑换多少卢比吗？Excuse me, can you tell me the exchange rate of one US dollar to rupiah?
- 我希望买些纪念品，但是没有足够的印尼盾。I want to buy souvenirs, but I don't have enough rupiahs.
- 你去印尼旅行时需要在当地换印尼盾。When you travel to Indonesia, you need to exchange for Indonesian rupiahs locally.
- 一千印尼盾是多少钱？Yīqiān Yìnnídùn shì duōshǎo qián?How much is one thousand rupiah?
- 这里的印尼盾汇率很高。Zhèlǐ de Yìnnídùn huìlǜ hěn gāo.The rupiah exchange rate here is very high.
- 我手里有很多印尼盾。Wǒ shǒu lǐ yǒu hěnduō Yìnnídùn.I have a lot of rupiah in my hand.
Example conversation
At a currency exchange counter in Jakarta.
- 志强 Zhiqiang请问可以换印尼盾吗？Qǐngwèn kěyǐ huàn Yìnnídùn ma?Excuse me, can I exchange for rupiah?
- 雨婷 Yuting可以，您想换多少？Kěyǐ, nín xiǎng huàn duōshǎo?Yes, how much would you like to exchange?
- 志强 Zhiqiang我想换五百万印尼盾。Wǒ xiǎng huàn wǔbǎi wàn Yìnnídùn.I would like to exchange five million rupiah.
- 雨婷 Yuting好的，请稍等一下。Hǎo de, qǐng shāoděng yīxià.Okay, please wait a moment.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 印尼盾, CC BY-SA 4.0.
