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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing approximation with 约 (yuē)

    Numbers & Quantity

    Structure

    约 + Number + Measure Word + Noun

    Explanation

    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.

    Examples

    • 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.

    Expressing approximation with 约 (yuē) | Chinese Grammar