Meaning of 千万
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- ten million
- countless
- many
- one must by all means
How to use 千万
As an adverb, 千万 adds strong urging to a request or warning, and it very often appears with 别 (bié) or 不要 (bùyào). 你千万别忘了。(Nǐ qiānwàn bié wàng le.) You absolutely must not forget. As a number, it simply means ten million, as in 一千万 (yì qiān wàn).
千 (qiān) means a thousand and 万 (wàn) means ten thousand, so 千万 is literally a thousand times ten thousand, which is ten million. Think of it as saying something matters ten million times over, so you must do it by all means.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 千万 with 万一 (wànyī). 千万 means "by all means, be sure to," while 万一 means "just in case" or "if by any chance." Also, 千万 is used for urging other people, not for describing your own past actions, so avoid sentences like 我千万去了.
千万 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.
千 qiān · thousand · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
万 wàn · ten thousand · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Related words
Words that share a character with 千万.
| 千克 | qiānkè | kilogram |
| 万一 | wànyī | just in case; if by any chance |
| 成千上万 | chéngqiān-shàngwàn | (lit.) by the thousands and tens of thousands (idiom); (fig.) untold numbers; innumerable; |
| 万能 | wànnéng | omnipotent; all-purpose |
| 万分 | wànfēn | very much; extremely |
| 万无一失 | wànwú-yīshī | surefire; absolutely safe (idiom) |
| 千方百计 | qiānfāng-bǎijì | lit. thousand ways, a hundred plans (idiom); by every possible means |
| 万万 | wànwàn | hundred million; (fig.) enormous quantity; absolutely; certainly (usually followed by a ne |
| 千钧一发 | qiānjūn-yīfà | (lit.) a thousand pounds hangs by a thread (idiom); (fig.) (at the) critical; perilous (mo |
| 千变万化 | qiānbiàn-wànhuà | countless changes; constant permutation |
| 千家万户 | qiānjiā-wànhù | every family (idiom) |
| 千军万马 | qiānjūn-wànmǎ | magnificent army with thousands of men and horses (idiom); impressive display of manpower; |
Questions about 千万
What does 千万 mean?
千万 (qiānwàn) means "ten million; countless" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 千万?
千万 is made of 2 characters: 千 (3 strokes), 万 (3 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.
Is 千万 an HSK word?
Yes. 千万 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 千万 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 千万 is written 千萬.
What is the difference between 千万 and 一定 (yídìng)?
Both can mean "must," but 千万 is mainly used in requests, advice, and warnings to others, especially negative ones like 千万别. 一定 is broader. It can also express your own determination or a strong guess, as in 我一定去 (I will definitely go) or 他一定很累 (He must be tired).
Can 千万 be used in positive requests, not just with 别?
Yes. You can say 你千万要小心 (Nǐ qiānwàn yào xiǎoxīn), meaning "You really must be careful." In positive sentences it usually comes before 要 (yào).