{"id":6161,"date":"2015-11-03T15:38:32","date_gmt":"2015-11-03T15:38:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/?p=6161"},"modified":"2024-10-28T11:18:56","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T11:18:56","slug":"the-major-differences-between-er-and-liang","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/the-major-differences-between-er-and-liang.html","title":{"rendered":"The Major Differences Between \u4e24(li\u01ceng) and \u4e8c(\u00e8r)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Numbers are often one of the first topics that learners tackle when starting a new language, and Chinese is no different. However, Mandarin is unique in the fact that it has two different words to refer to the number two. How do you know the difference between them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s break it down:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The main difference is that you use \u4e8c (\u00e8r) when counting or doing math. However, when you want to say \u201ctwo of\u201d something, then \u4e24 (li\u01ceng) is used in front of the <a href=index-646.html>measure word<\/a> instead of \u4e8c. This is similar to \u201ca pair\u201d in English and can be used when describing two of almost anything. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u4e24\u4e2a\u5c0f\u65f6 (li\u01ceng g\u00e8 xi\u01ceo sh\u00ed) two hours;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u4e24\u5929 (li\u01ceng ti\u0101n) two days;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u4e24\u4e2a\u661f\u671f (li\u01ceng g\u00e8 x\u012bng q\u012b) two weeks;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u4e24\u4e2a\u6708 (li\u01ceng g\u00e8 yu\u00e8) two months.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>One example that stumps some people is the expression \u201c2 o\u2019clock.\u201d Rather than using \u4e8c\u70b9 (\u00e8r di\u01cen), the correct way to say it is actually \u4e24\u70b9 (li\u01ceng di\u01cen), which literally means \u201ctwo points on the clock.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s see some other differences worth exploring:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1)<\/strong> \u4e8c (\u00e8r) can be used as an ordinal number, as in \u7b2c\u4e8c(d\u00ec \u00e8r) for the second in a series, \u4e8c\u697c(\u00e8r l\u00f3u) for the second floor, and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2)<\/strong> To indicate a numeral, fraction, or decimal in math, \u4e8c should be used instead of \u4e24. Keep in mind that in Chinese, the bottom number of the fraction will come first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u00bd = \u00a0 \u4e8c\u5206\u4e4b\u4e00 (\u00e8r f\u0113n zh\u012b y\u012b); \u2153 \u4e09\u5206\u4e4b\u4e8c(s\u0101n f\u0113n zh\u012b \u00e8r)\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>0.2 \u96f6\u70b9\u4e8c(l\u00edng di\u01cen \u00e8r) \uff1b 2.4 \u4e8c\u70b9\u56db(\u00e8r di\u01cen s\u00ec)\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3)<\/strong> Use \u4e8c in the tens and ones place for multi-digit numbers, such as 22 (\u4e8c\u5341\u4e8c\u00e8rsh\u00ed&#8217;\u00e8r). For the hundreds place, either\u4e24 or \u4e8c can be used, such as in 200 (\u4e8c\u767e\/\u4e24\u767e,\u00e8rb\u01cei\/li\u01cengb\u01cei). In the case of \u5343 (qi\u0101n, thousand), \u4e07 (w\u00e0n, ten thousand), or \u4ebf (y\u00ec, hundred million), \u4e24 is more commonly used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>2000(\u4e24\u5343\uff0cli\u01cengqi\u0101n);<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>22222(\u4e24\u4e07\u4e24\u5343\u4e8c\u767e\u4e8c\u5341\u4e8c li\u01cengw\u00e0nli\u01cengqi\u0101n\u00e8rb\u01cei\u00e8rsh\u00ed&#8217;\u00e8r);<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>200000000(\u4e24\u4ebf\uff0cli\u01cengy\u00ec)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4)<\/strong> You can use either \u4e24 or \u4e8c before \u201ctraditional\u201d units for capacity or weight (\u5c3a(ch\u01d0) \/ \u4ea9(m\u01d4) \/ \u5347(sh\u0113ng).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u4e8c\u5c3a\/\u4e24\u5c3a (\u00e8r ch\u01d0 \/li\u01ceng ch\u01d0) two Chinese feet (a traditional unit of length equivalent to 1\/3 meter)\uff1b<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u4e8c\u4ea9\/\u4e24\u4ea9 (\u00e8r m\u01d4 \/li\u01ceng m\u01d4) two Chinese acres (a traditional unit of land area equivalent to 1\/6 hectare)\uff1b<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u4e8c\u5347\/\u4e24\u5347 (\u00e8r sh\u0113ng \/li\u01ceng sh\u0113ng) two liters (a metric unit of liquid volume).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>However, \u201cnew\u201d units for capacity and weight typically use \u4e24.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u4e24\u5428 (li\u01ceng d\u016bn) two metric tons\uff1b<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u4e24\u516c\u91cc (li\u01ceng g\u014dngl\u01d0) two kilometers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep in mind that \u4e24 also means 1\/20 of a kilogram. To make this distinction clear, two-twentieths of a kilogram is written as \u4e8c\u4e24 (\u00e8r li\u01ceng), not \u4e24\u4e24 (li\u01ceng li\u01ceng).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>5)<\/strong> To approximate a number, use \u4e24 with either \u4e00(y\u012b) or \u4e09(s\u0101n) in succession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"custom_example_style\">\u4e00\u4e24\u5929(y\u012b li\u01ceng ti\u0101n) One or two days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"custom_example_style\">\u8fd9\u4e2a\u8bcd\u6211\u4eec\u5b66\u4e86\u4e24\u4e09\u6b21\u4e86\u3002 (Zh\u00e8 ge c\u00ed w\u01d2 men xu\u00e9 le&nbsp;li\u01ceng s\u0101n&nbsp;c\u00ec le.)<br>We&#8217;ve studied this word two or three times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"custom_example_style\">\u6bcf\u4e2a\u4eba\u8981\u82b1\u4e24\u4e09\u767e\u5757\u94b1\u3002 (M\u011bi g\u00e8 r\u00e9n y\u00e0o hu\u0101 li\u01ceng s\u0101n b\u01cei ku\u00e0i qi\u00e1n.) Every one needs to spend two to three hundred RMB. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>6)<\/strong> \u4e24 is also used alone to represent a small quantity, which \u4e8c cannot do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"custom_example_style\"> \u600e\u4e48\u5c31\u6765\u4e86\u8fd9\u4e48\u4e24\u4e2a\u4eba?(Z\u011bnme ji\u00f9 l\u00e1i le zh\u00e8me li\u01ceng g\u00e8 r\u00e9n ?)<br> How come so few people came?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>7)<\/strong> In northern China, \u4fe9(li\u01ce) is commonly used instead of \u4e24\u4e2a to mean \u201cthe two of something.\u201d For example, \u201c\u6211\u4eec\u4fe9 (w\u01d2men li\u01ce)\u201d means \u201cthe two of us.\u201d It can also be used to indicate a small quantity, such as \u201c\u4fe9\u82f9\u679c(li\u01cep\u00ednggu\u01d2\uff09\u201d meaning \u201ctwo apples.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>8)<\/strong> It\u2019s worth noting that \u8d30, also pronounced \u201c\u00e8r,\u201d is used to represent the number 2 on items like cheques to <a href=numbers.html#The_use_of_.E5.A4.A7.E5.AF.AB_numbers\">prevent forgery<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Understanding the differences between \u4e8c and \u4e24 is an essential part of basic <a href=index-112.html>Chinese grammar<\/a>. While both characters can represent the number 2, they are used in different contexts and have distinct nuances. Remember that \u4e8c is used for ordinal numbers and math, while \u4e24 is used for approximate quantities and traditional units of measurement. By keeping these differences in mind, you can improve your Chinese language skills and avoid confusion in your conversations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Numbers are often one of the first topics that learners tackle when starting a new language, and Chinese is no different. However, Mandarin is unique in the fact that it has two different words to refer to the number two. How do you know the difference between them? Let\u2019s break it down: The main difference&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":6164,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,176],"tags":[77,7,93,78,80,84],"post_series":[],"class_list":["post-6161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-learn-mandarin-online","category-usage","tag-beginner","tag-grammar","tag-how-to-use","tag-intermediate","tag-self-study","tag-vocabulary","entry","has-media"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Major Differences Between \u4e24(li\u01ceng) and \u4e8c(\u00e8r)<\/title>\n
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