PMT #50: Mastering Large Numbers
🌀 Pearls of Mandarin: Translation #50
Hello Mandarin Enthusiasts! 🌟
In this week’s CGG #51 lesson, , we dove into how Chinese handles big numbers, grouping them in units of 4 digits. We learned how to use 万 (wàn) for 10,000, 亿 (yì) for 100 million, and even 兆 (zhào) for a trillion! Now it’s your turn to practice and make these numbers feel natural.
✨ A Quick Update! Starting today, these worksheets will have a new format: each one now includes six sentences, divided into Easy, Intermediate, and Advanced levels. This way, there’s something for everyone, no matter your level.
I’m also making a small change to the name. What you’ve known as PMW: Translation will now be called PMT (Pearls of Mandarin: Translation). With this new format and a simpler name, I hope you’ll find the worksheets even more helpful and easy to use 😊
Recap of CGG #51 lesson
Grouping by Units of 4 Digits: Chinese numbers are grouped in units of 4 digits (e.g., 10,000 instead of 1,000). This introduces a different way of thinking compared to English, where numbers are grouped by 3 digits.
Using 万 (wàn): The character 万 (wàn) represents “ten thousand.” This is the base for grouping numbers in Chinese, making large numbers more logical to read and write.
Introducing 亿 (yì): When numbers reach 100,000,000 (one hundred million), a new word, 亿 (yì), replaces saying 万万 (ten thousand ten thousands). It simplifies reading and speaking very large numbers.
Using 兆 (zhào): For even larger numbers, 1,000,000,000,000 (one trillion), Chinese introduces 兆 (zhào). Alternatively, 万亿 (wàn yì, "ten thousand yì") is also used in Mainland China.
Beyond 兆 (zhào): Extremely large numbers use 京 (jīng, ten quadrillion) or 亿亿 (yì yì, "one hundred million yì"). Each new term represents an additional group of 4 digits.
Today’s Exercises
Translate these English sentences into Mandarin:
Easy
10,000 people attended the event.
I bought a house for 250,000 yuan.
Intermediate
This city has a population of 12,345,678 people.
The company’s annual revenue is 5.6 billion yuan.
Advanced
The world’s population is approximately 7,888,123,456.
Last year, this company generated a profit of 12 trillion yuan.
Take your time, and remember: practicing will help you sound more natural and confident in your Mandarin conversations. You’ve got this! 💫
🌀 Translation #1
10,000 people attended the event.
This sentence requires using 万 (wàn) to express 10,000.
Let’s break down the translation:
一 (yī) means “one.”
We must include 一 here because 万 alone represents the unit “ten thousand” rather than the specific number “10,000”
Compare: 万人 means “tens of thousands of people” (indefinite), while 一万人 means “exactly 10,000 people”
万 (wàn) means “ten thousand.”
Together 一万 forms “10,000”
人 (rén) serves both as the measure word for people and means “people”
Unlike most nouns which require a separate measure word (like 个), 人 is special because it functions as both the noun and its own measure word
For example: 三个学生 (three students) needs 个, but 三人 (three people) doesn’t
Omitting the measure words 个 is more formal, while adding it makes the sentence sound more conversational
参加 (cānjiā) means “to attend” or “to participate in”
了 (le) indicates completed action
这 (zhè) means “this”
个 (ge) is the general measure word
活动 (huódòng) means “event”
Notes
Remember that 一 (yī) changes tone before certain tones:
When 一 is followed by a 4th tone syllable, it changes to 2nd tone (yí)
When 一 is followed by any other tone (1st, 2nd, 3rd, or neutral), it changes to 4th tone (yì)
This tone change is obligatory in natural speech, not optional
The word 人 is special in not requiring an additional measure word
Using 万人 without 一 would mean “tens of thousands” rather than the specific number 10,000
Recap
一万人参加了这个活动。
一 / 万 / 人 / 参加 / 了 / 这 / 个 / 活动。
yí wàn rén cānjiā le zhè ge huódòng
10,000 people attended the event.
one / ten-thousand / people / attend / (completed action particle 了) / this / event
Audio Recordings
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🌀 Translation #2
I bought a house for 250,000 yuan.
