Chinese Approximate Numbers — 概数/约数 大概/左右/多/上下/几

Chinese expresses "about", "around", and "roughly" with a family of approximate-number words (概数 gàishù / 约数 yuēshù): 大概, 大约, 左右, 多, 上下, 前后, 几, and 来. Each has a slightly different position and meaning.

Unlike English, which leans on a single "about", Chinese attaches these words in specific slots: some go before the number (大概十个人), some after (十个人左右), and some after a round number plus a measure word (三十多岁).

Approximate numbers are extremely common in everyday speech — age, price, time, and quantity — and are tested from HSK 2 onward, becoming a core HSK 3 point.

大概 (dàgài) means "roughly, probably, about" and goes before the number or phrase: 大概十个人 (about ten people), 大概三点 (around three o'clock), 大概五分钟 (about five minutes).

大约 (dàyuē) is the more formal equivalent: 大约十分钟 (approximately ten minutes), 大约五十人 (about fifty people). Use 大约 in writing and formal speech, 大概 in casual conversation.

大概 can also soften a whole statement with "probably": 他大概不来了 (he probably isn't coming). Here it modifies the sentence rather than a specific number.

左右 (zuǒyòu) means "around, approximately" and goes AFTER the number: 三点左右 (around three o'clock), 十块钱左右 (around ten yuan), 二十个人左右 (around twenty people).

左右 means the number could be slightly above or slightly below: 三十岁左右 (around thirty years old — could be 29 or 31).

It works with time, money, age, weight, distance, and quantity: 一个小时左右 (about an hour), 五十公斤左右 (around fifty kilograms).

多 (duō) placed after a round number means "a bit more than" that number: 三十多岁 (a bit over thirty years old), 五十多块 (fifty-something yuan), 一百多人 (a bit over one hundred people).

The pattern is round number + 多 + measure word: 十多个学生 (a bit more than ten students), 二十多天 (a bit more than twenty days).

For ages, 多 sits between the number and 岁: 三十多岁 (over thirty). Compare with 三十岁左右 (around thirty), which could also be slightly under.

上下 (shàngxià) means "around, up and down" and implies a range or fluctuation: 三十岁上下 (around thirty years old), 一百人上下 (around one hundred people). It is more formal than 左右.

前后 (qiánhòu) means "before and after" and marks a time frame around a point: 春节前后 (around Spring Festival), 国庆节前后 (around National Day), 三点前后 (around three o'clock).

Use 前后 for time points and periods, 上下 for quantities and ages. Both emphasize a range rather than a single estimate.

几 (jǐ) means "a few, several" for small, uncertain numbers (usually under ten): 几个人 (a few people), 几天 (a few days), 几本书 (a few books), 几点 (what time — literally "which few hours").

几 vs 多少: use 几 for small numbers (under ten) and 多少 for larger or open-ended ones — 几个人 (a few people) vs 多少人 (how many people). In questions, 几 requires a measure word (几个), while 多少 can stand alone (多少).

来 (lái) placed after a round number means "roughly, in the region of": 十来个人 (about ten people), 三十来岁 (about thirty years old), 五十来块 (about fifty yuan). It is close to 左右 but more colloquial.

多 and 左右 are not interchangeable in meaning: 三十多岁 (a bit OVER thirty) vs 三十岁左右 (AROUND thirty, possibly under). 多 leans above the number; 左右 spans both sides.

Do not put 大概 after the number — it goes before: 大概十个人, not 十个人大概. 左右 goes after: 十个人左右.

Do not use 几 for large numbers — 几 only covers small quantities (under ten). For "a few hundred" say 几百 (jǐbǎi), not 几.

Do not combine 多 and 左右 on the same number: 三十多左右 is redundant and wrong. Pick one.

In a question asking "what time", 几点 is the everyday form (几 + 点); 多少点 is unnatural.