万 wàn ten thousand
How it came to be
The full form is a scorpion: the pincers at the top, the body, the tail curling over. It was borrowed for the number early and completely, and the simple form kept nothing of the animal.
How it is used
- "Ten thousand" - the Chinese counting unit, so 一万 (yíwàn) = 10,000 and 十万 (shíwàn) = 100,000. Watch this: big numbers group by 万, not by thousand.
- In 千万 (qiānwàn) and 万万 it doubles as an emphatic "absolutely (not)" in warnings - 千万别忘了 (qiānwàn bié wàng le) whatever you do, don't forget. 万一 (wànyī) = just in case.
Characters built with 万
Words with 万
- 千万qiānwànten millionHSK 4
- 万一wànyījust in caseHSK 5
- 万物wànwùall thingsHSK 6
- 千家万户qiānjiā-wànhùevery family (idiom)HSK 6
- 成千上万chéngqiān-shàngwànliterally by the thousands and tens of thousandsHSK 6
- 万万wànwànhundred millionHSK 7
- 万分wànfēnvery muchHSK 7
- 万无一失wànwú-yìshīsurefireHSK 7
- 万能wànnéngomnipotentHSK 7
- 千变万化qiānbiàn-wànhuàcountless changesHSK 7
- 亿万yìwànmillions and millionsHSK 8
- 包罗万象bāoluó-wànxiàngall-embracingHSK 8
- 千军万马qiānjūn-wànmǎmagnificent army with thousands of men and horsesHSK 8
- 鹏程万里péngchéng-wànlǐthe fabled roc flies ten thousand milesHSK 9
Example sentences
- 我存了一万元。 Wǒ cúnle yíwàn yuán.I saved 10,000 yuan.
- 我有一万美金。 Wǒ yǒu yīwàn Měijīn.I've got ten thousand U.S. dollars.
- 是谁发现了万有引力？ Shì shéi fāxiànle wànyǒu yǐnlì?Who discovered universal gravitation?
- 千万不要挑拨夫妻关系。 Qiānwàn búyào tiǎobō fūqī guānxi.Never sow discord between husband and wife.