Meaning of 多半
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- most
- mostly
- most likely
How to use 多半
As a number word it means the greater part of a group, as in 多半学生 (most students). As an adverb it goes before the verb to mean probably or most likely. Example: 他多半不来了。(Tā duōbàn bù lái le.) He probably isn't coming.
多 (duō) means many and 半 (bàn) means half. More than half is most, so 多半 means most of something, or that something is most likely true.
Common mistake: Learners mix up 多半 with 一半 (yībàn). 一半 means exactly half, while 多半 means more than half or most. Also, the adverb 多半 goes before the verb, so say 他多半会去, not 他会去多半.
多半 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.
多 duō · many · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
半 bàn · half · 5 strokes
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- 2
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- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 多半.
| 多少 | duōshao | number; amount; somewhat |
| 一半 | yībàn | half |
| 半年 | bàn nián | half a year |
| 半天 | bàntiān | half of the day; a long time |
| 多久 | duōjiǔ | (of time) how long?; (not) a long time |
| 差不多 | chàbuduō | almost; nearly |
| 许多 | xǔduō | many; a lot of |
| 好多 | hǎoduō | many; quite a lot |
| 多么 | duōme | how (wonderful etc); what (a great idea etc) |
| 大多数 | dàduōshù | (great) majority |
| 半夜 | bànyè | midnight; in the middle of the night |
| 多数 | duōshù | majority; most |
Questions about 多半
What does 多半 mean?
多半 (duōbàn) means "most; mostly" and is used as a numeral and adverb.
How do you write 多半?
多半 is made of 2 characters: 多 (6 strokes), 半 (5 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 多半 an HSK word?
Yes. 多半 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 多半 and 大概?
Both can mean probably. 多半 sounds a bit more confident, close to most likely. 大概 (dàgài) also has the extra meaning of roughly or approximately with numbers.
Can 多半 be used to talk about a habit?
Yes. It can mean usually or mostly. For example, 周末我多半在家。(Zhōumò wǒ duōbàn zài jiā.) means On weekends I am mostly at home.