Meaning of 许多
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- many
- a lot of
- much
How to use 许多
许多 goes before a noun to mean many or a lot of, and it often appears with 的 or directly before the noun. It sounds a little more formal or written than 很多 (hěn duō). Example: 公园里有许多人。(Gōngyuán lǐ yǒu xǔduō rén.) There are a lot of people in the park.
许 (xǔ) means to allow or promise, and 多 (duō) means many. Picture someone allowing you to take as many as you want, and you end up with 许多, a lot of things.
Common mistake: Learners often say 很许多, but 许多 already means many, so it does not take 很 in front. Also watch the tone: 许 is third tone (xǔ), not second tone like 徐 (xú).
许多 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.
许 xǔ · to allow · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
多 duō · many · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 许多.
| 多少 | duōshao | number; amount; somewhat |
| 也许 | yěxǔ | perhaps; maybe |
| 多久 | duōjiǔ | (of time) how long?; (not) a long time |
| 差不多 | chàbuduō | almost; nearly |
| 好多 | hǎoduō | many; quite a lot |
| 多么 | duōme | how (wonderful etc); what (a great idea etc) |
| 大多数 | dàduōshù | (great) majority |
| 多数 | duōshù | majority; most |
| 多云 | duōyún | (meteorology) cloudy |
| 或许 | huòxǔ | perhaps; maybe |
| 多年 | duō nián | many years; for many years |
| 多次 | duō cì | many times; repeatedly |
Questions about 许多
What does 许多 mean?
许多 (xǔduō) means "many; a lot of" and is used as a numeral.
How do you write 许多?
许多 is made of 2 characters: 许 (6 strokes), 多 (6 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 许多 an HSK word?
Yes. 许多 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 许多 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 许多 is written 許多.
What is the difference between 许多 and 很多?
They mean almost the same thing. 很多 is more common in casual speech, while 许多 feels slightly more formal and is common in writing. 很多 can also stand alone as a predicate, as in 人很多, while 许多 usually comes before a noun.
Can 许多 be used with uncountable things like time or work?
Yes. You can say 许多时间 (xǔduō shíjiān), a lot of time, or 许多工作 (xǔduō gōngzuò), a lot of work. Chinese does not separate many and much the way English does.