Meaning of 分之
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (indicating a fraction)
How to use 分之
分之 sits between two numbers to form a fraction or percentage. The denominator comes first and the numerator comes last. Example: 三分之一的学生 (sān fēn zhī yī de xuésheng) one third of the students.
分 (fēn) means to divide, and 之 (zhī) is a classical word like "of". So 分之 is "divided into parts, of which", the glue that builds a fraction.
Common mistake: English speakers often say the numerator first, as in 一分之三 for one third. Chinese says the bottom number first, so one third is 三分之一 (sān fēn zhī yī).
分之 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
分 fēn · to divide · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
之 zhī · possessive particle · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Related words
Words that share a character with 分之.
| 分钟 | fēnzhōng | minute |
| 部分 | bùfen | part; portion; piece; Taiwan pr. [bu4fen4] |
| 一部分 | yī bùfen | portion; part of |
| 十分 | shífēn | very; completely |
| 分开 | fēnkāi | to separate; to part |
| 大部分 | dàbùfen | the greater part; the majority; most; Taiwan pr. [da4bu4fen4] |
| 分数 | fēnshù | (exam) grade; mark |
| 分别 | fēnbié | to part; to leave each other; to distinguish; to tell apart |
| 得分 | défēn | to score a point (in a competition, test etc); score; rating; grade |
| 分配 | fēnpèi | to distribute; to assign |
| 分组 | fēn zǔ | to divide into groups; group (formed from a larger group) |
| 之前 | zhīqián | before; prior to |
Questions about 分之
What does 分之 mean?
分之 (fēn zhī) means "(indicating a fraction)".
How do you write 分之?
分之 is made of 2 characters: 分 (4 strokes), 之 (3 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 分之 an HSK word?
Yes. 分之 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say a percentage in Chinese?
Use 百分之 (bǎi fēn zhī) followed by the number. For example, 50% is 百分之五十 (bǎi fēn zhī wǔshí), literally "fifty of one hundred parts".
Can 分之 be used on its own?
No. It always appears between two numbers, like 四分之三 (sì fēn zhī sān) for three quarters. It does not stand alone as a word in a sentence.