Saying a sum out loud in Chinese is wonderfully close to English: you read the equation left to right, one operator between the numbers, and 等于 (děngyú) for the equals sign. 二加三等于五 (èr jiā sān děngyú wǔ) is simply "two plus three equals five." Four verbs cover the four operations — 加 (plus), 减 (minus), 乘 (times), 除以 (divided by) — and once you have those plus 等于 you can voice almost any everyday calculation: splitting a bill, checking change, helping a kid with homework. There is exactly one place where Chinese and English diverge, and it is division: 除 and 除以 reverse the operands, so this page pins that down carefully.
The four operations and 等于
| Symbol | Word | Reading | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| + | 加 | jiā | 二加三等于五 (2 + 3 = 5) |
| − | 减 | jiǎn | 十减四等于六 (10 − 4 = 6) |
| × | 乘 / 乘以 | chéng / chéng yǐ | 三乘以四等于十二 (3 × 4 = 12) |
| ÷ | 除以 | chú yǐ | 八除以二等于四 (8 ÷ 2 = 4) |
| = | 等于 | děngyú | — |
Everything sits in the order you'd read the written equation. Multiplication has two forms — bare 乘 or 乘以 ("times / multiplied by") — and both are fine, since multiplication is symmetric (三乘四 = 三乘以四). Note that all four expressions use the plain digit 二, not the counting 两: it's 二加二, never 两加两 (see 二 vs 两).
二加三等于五，这么简单还用算？
èr jiā sān děngyú wǔ, zhème jiǎndān hái yòng suàn
Two plus three is five — that's so easy, why bother calculating?
老师问：七乘八等于多少？
lǎoshī wèn: qī chéng bā děngyú duōshao
The teacher asked, 'What's seven times eight?'
一百减去三十五，应该找我六十五块。
yìbǎi jiǎnqù sānshíwǔ, yīnggāi zhǎo wǒ liùshíwǔ kuài
A hundred minus thirty-five — they should give me 65 yuan change.
Division: 除以 vs 除 (the order flips)
Here is the one genuine trap. 除以 (chú yǐ) means "divided by," and it keeps the natural order: A 除以 B = A ÷ B. So 八除以二 = 8 ÷ 2 = 4. This is the form you want ninety-nine times out of a hundred, and the one to drill.
Bare 除 (chú), without 以, means "divides into" — and it reverses the operands: A 除 B = B ÷ A. So 二除八 also equals 4, because it reads "two divides into eight." The character 除 alone puts the divisor first; 除以 puts the dividend first. Mix them up and you invert the whole calculation.
| Chinese | Means | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 八除以二 | 8 ÷ 2 | 4 |
| 二除八 | 8 ÷ 2 (2 divides into 8) | 4 |
| 八除二 | 2 ÷ 8 | 0.25 |
十二除以四等于三。
shí'èr chú yǐ sì děngyú sān
Twelve divided by four equals three.
这顿饭一共三百块，我们六个人平摊，三百除以六等于五十。
zhè dùn fàn yígòng sānbǎi kuài, wǒmen liù ge rén píngtān, sānbǎi chú yǐ liù děngyú wǔshí
Dinner was 300 yuan total, split among six of us — 300 ÷ 6 = 50 each.
Because bare 除 is so easily miscounted, learners (and plenty of native speakers) simply avoid it and always say 除以. That's sound advice: if you never use 除 alone, you can never flip the operands by accident.
Remainders, negatives, and reading real equations
Two extras make your spoken math sound complete. A remainder is 余 (yú): 七除以二等于三余一 = "7 ÷ 2 = 3 remainder 1." And a negative result takes 负 (fù) in front: 三减五等于负二 = "3 − 5 = −2." English speakers often forget the 负 and give a bare positive number, which is simply wrong.
七除以二等于三余一。
qī chú yǐ èr děngyú sān yú yī
Seven divided by two is three, remainder one.
三减五等于负二，不是二。
sān jiǎn wǔ děngyú fù èr, bú shì èr
Three minus five equals negative two, not two.
小孩儿的作业：九除以三等于几呀？
xiǎoháir de zuòyè: jiǔ chú yǐ sān děngyú jǐ ya
The kid's homework: what's nine divided by three?
For powers and roots you'll meet 平方 (píngfāng, squared) and 平方根 / 开根号 (square root): 三的平方等于九 (3² = 9). Those belong to a later math page, but the same left-to-right, 等于-anchored rhythm carries straight over.
Common Mistakes
1. Confusing 除 and 除以. 除以 keeps the order (A ÷ B); bare 除 flips it (B ÷ A).
❌ 八除二等于四
Incorrect — 八除二 means 2 ÷ 8 = 0.25; for 8 ÷ 2 say 八除以二.
✅ 八除以二等于四
bā chú yǐ èr děngyú sì
Eight divided by two equals four.
2. Using 两 instead of 二 in a calculation. Bare digits in arithmetic are 二, not the counting 两.
❌ 两加三等于五
Unnatural — in arithmetic the digit 'two' is 二: 二加三.
✅ 二加三等于五
èr jiā sān děngyú wǔ
Two plus three equals five.
3. Saying 是 for '=' in a formal calculation. Colloquially 三加四是七 is heard, but the standard equals word is 等于.
❌ 三加四是七。
Colloquial only — for a proper calculation use 等于, not 是.
✅ 三加四等于七。
sān jiā sì děngyú qī
Three plus four equals seven.
4. Forgetting 负 for a negative result. A result below zero needs 负 in front.
❌ 三减五等于二
Incorrect — the answer is below zero: 三减五等于负二.
✅ 三减五等于负二
sān jiǎn wǔ děngyú fù èr
Three minus five equals negative two.
Key Takeaways
- The four operations read left to right with 等于 for "=": 加 (+), 减 (−), 乘 / 乘以 (×), 除以 (÷).
- A 除以 B = A ÷ B (natural order); bare A 除 B = B ÷ A (reversed). Stick to 除以 and you can't flip the operands.
- Use the plain digit 二, not 两, in calculations: 二加二, 除以二.
- To ask a result, end with 等于多少 / 等于几; to leave a blank, drop 几 into the equation.
- Remainder = 余 (三余一), negative result = 负 (负二); don't drop the 负.
Now practice Chinese
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Start learning Chinese→Related Topics
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- Multiples with 倍HSK 3 — 倍 (bèi) means 'times / -fold'. A 是 B 的三倍 = A is three times B (clean multiplier). But 增加了三倍 means 'increased BY three-fold' = four times as much — the +1 trap English speakers must watch.
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- Fractions (三分之一)HSK 3 — Chinese states fractions denominator-first with the frame X 分之 Y ('of X parts, Y'): 三分之一 = 1/3, 四分之三 = 3/4. The order is the exact reverse of English, and 之 is the classical 'of'.