Meaning of 百
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- hundred
- numerous
- all kinds of
- surname Bai
How to use 百
百 is the basic word for hundred and usually takes a number in front, as in 一百 (yībǎi) or 三百 (sānbǎi). It also means "many" or "all kinds of" in set words like 百货 (bǎihuò, general merchandise) and 老百姓 (lǎobǎixìng, ordinary people). Example: 这本书一百块。(Zhè běn shū yìbǎi kuài.) This book costs one hundred yuan.
百 (bǎi) looks like 白 (bái, white) with one extra stroke 一 (yī, one) on top. Think of it as "one" placed over "white": a hundred is the first big round number you count up to.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 百 (bǎi, third tone) with 白 (bái, second tone, white). The shapes differ only by the top stroke 一, so check both the stroke and the tone.
百 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.
百 bǎi · hundred · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 百.
| 老百姓 | lǎobǎixìng | ordinary people; the "person in the street" |
| 百货 | bǎihuò | general merchandise |
| 百分点 | bǎifēndiǎn | percentage point |
| 百合 | bǎihé | (botany) lily; (ACG) (slang) yuri (genre depicting romantic or intimate relationships betw |
| 千方百计 | qiānfāng-bǎijì | lit. thousand ways, a hundred plans (idiom); by every possible means |
| 百科全书 | bǎikē quánshū | encyclopedia |
| 百分比 | bǎifēnbǐ | percentage |
| 百万 | bǎiwàn | million |
| 百姓 | bǎixìng | common people |
| 百分之百 | bǎifēnzhībǎi | a hundred percent; out and out |
| 百分百 | bǎifēnbǎi | one hundred percent; totally (effective) |
| 百万富翁 | bǎiwànfùwēng | millionaire |
Questions about 百
What does 百 mean?
百 (bǎi) means "hundred; numerous" and is used as a numeral.
How do you write 百?
百 is made of 1 character: 百 (6 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.
Is 百 an HSK word?
Yes. 百 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Do I need to say 一 before 百 in Chinese?
Yes, in normal counting you say 一百 (yìbǎi) for 100, not just 百. Leaving out 一 sounds incomplete, unlike English "hundred" in some phrases.
How do you say 110 or 105 with 百?
110 is 一百一十 (yìbǎi yīshí), often shortened in speech to 一百一 (yìbǎi yī). For 105 you add 零 (líng) for the empty tens place: 一百零五 (yìbǎi líng wǔ).