约 + Number + Measure Word + Noun
The word 约 (yuē) means "approximately" or "about" and is placed before a number to indicate an estimate. It is commonly used in news and formal writing to give rough figures when an exact number is not known or not important.
这座城市约有两千万常住人口。
Zhè zuò chéngshì yuē yǒu liǎng qiān wàn chángzhù rénkǒu.
This city has a permanent resident population of approximately twenty million.
从这里到市中心约需要四十分钟。
Cóng zhèlǐ dào shì zhōngxīn yuē xūyào sìshí fēnzhōng.
It takes approximately forty minutes to get from here to the city center.
据统计,约三成的受访者表示支持这项政策。
Jù tǒngjì, yuē sān chéng de shòufǎng zhě biǎoshì zhīchí zhè xiàng zhèngcè.
According to statistics, approximately thirty percent of respondents expressed support for this policy.