Approximation: 左右/大约/差不多/将近

Chinese grammar · HSK 4 · 约数表达 · By Carson 木林森

四种表示大概数量的方式，位置和语气各不相同。

左右 zuǒ yòu left and right 大约 dà yuē approximately 差不多 chà bu duō almost 将近 jiāng jìn almost 约数表达 yuē shù biǎo dá

| 词语 | 位置 | 语气 | 例句 |
|------|------|------|------|
| 左右 zuǒ yòu | 数词之后 | 中性 | 三十岁左右 |
| 大约 dà yuē | 数词之前 | 中性/正式 | 大约三十岁 |
| 差不多 chà bu duō | 前/后均可 | 口语/随意 | 差不多三十岁 / 三十岁差不多 |
| 将近 jiāng jìn | 数词之前 | 强调接近 | 将近三十岁 (almost 30, not quite) |

关键区别:
- 左右 → AFTER the number
- 将近 → emphasizes approaching a large round number from below (nearly but not yet)
- 差不多 → colloquial; also means 'adequate/good enough'

Worked examples

Chinese	Pinyin	English	What it shows
这家餐厅开了十年左右，每天都有很多客人来。	Zhè jiā cān tīng kāi le shí nián zuǒ yòu, měi tiān dōu yǒu hěn duō kè rén lái.	This restaurant has been open for around 10 years and has many customers every day.	左右 comes AFTER the number (十年左右 = around 10 years); cannot move before
这个城市大约有三百万人口，是全省最大的城市。	Zhè ge chéng shì dà yuē yǒu sān bǎi wàn rén kǒu, shì quán shěng zuì dà de chéng shì.	This city has approximately 3 million people and is the largest city in the province.	大约 precedes the number (大约三百万); formal/statistical contexts
他们谈了将近三个小时，把所有问题都讨论清楚了。	Tā men tán le jiāng jìn sān ge xiǎo shí, bǎ suǒ yǒu wèn tí dōu tǎo lùn qīng chǔ le.	They talked for nearly three hours and discussed all the issues thoroughly.	将近 = nearly/almost (approaching 3 hours but not quite reached); precedes the number

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