分之 (fraction)
HSK 6- Measure words
Structure (结构 jiégòu)
Meaning (意思 yìsi)
The structure 'X 分之 Y' is used to express fractions or percentages, meaning 'Y parts out of X', read in the reverse order compared to Vietnamese.
Explanation (解释 jiěshì)
To express fractions or percentages in Chinese, you use the structure X 分之 Y, meaning "Y over X." The key point to remember is that the order is reversed compared to English: you must say the denominator (X) first, then 分之, and only then the numerator (Y).
When talking about percentages, the denominator is always 100, i.e., 百. For example, 50% would be 百分之五十 (fifty out of one hundred).
Examples (例句 lìjù)(5)
- 三分之一的学生是越南人。繁: 三分之一的學生是越南人。Sān fēn zhī yī de xuéshēng shì Yuènán rén.
One-third of the students are Vietnamese.
- 我们完成了任务的四分之三。繁: 我們完成了任務的四分之三。Wǒmen wánchéng le rènwu de sì fēn zhī sān.
We have completed three-fourths of the task.
- 这件衣服打折百分之二十。繁: 這件衣服打折百分之二十。Zhè jiàn yīfu dǎzhé bǎi fēn zhī èrshí.
This piece of clothing is discounted by twenty percent.
- 我百分之百同意你的看法。Wǒ bǎi fēn zhī bǎi tóngyì nǐ de kànfǎ.
I completely agree with your viewpoint.
- 这个城市有五分之二的人是年轻人。繁: 這個城市有五分之二的人是年輕人。Zhège chéngshì yǒu wǔ fēn zhī èr de rén shì niánqīng rén.
Two-fifths of the population in this city are young people.
Common mistakes
- Wrong:一分之三的学生是男生。Correct:三分之一的学生是男生。
Chinese expresses fractions with denominator first, then numerator, opposite to Vietnamese; "one-third" must be `三分之一`.
- Wrong:这件衣服打折二十个一百。Correct:这件衣服打折百分之二十。
To express percentages, use the structure `百分之...` (bách phân chi...).