多 Approximation (三十多) | Chinese (Mandarin) Grammar

多 (duō) glued to a number is Chinese's tidy way of saying "-odd" or "and a bit more": 三十多 is "thirty-odd, thirty-something," 一百多 is "a hundred-plus." English scatters this across "-odd," "-something," "over," and "and change"; Chinese does it all with one small syllable. The one thing you must get right is where 多 sits — before or after the measure word — because the two positions mean genuinely different things. Note first that this 多 is unstressed and always points upward from the stated figure: 三十多 is somewhere in the 30s, never in the 20s.

Position 1: after a round number, before the measure word (whole extra units)

When the number is a round multiple of 十, 百, 千 or 万 (it ends in zeros), 多 goes between the number and the measure word. Here 多 stands for the missing whole units below the rounding — the ones, or the tens-and-ones, you didn't name.

这个礼堂能坐三百多人。

zhège lǐtáng néng zuò sānbǎi duō rén

This auditorium seats three hundred-odd people. — 三百多 = 300–399.

我在这家公司干了二十多年。

wǒ zài zhè jiā gōngsī gàn le èrshí duō nián

I've worked at this company for twenty-odd years. — 二十多 = 21–29 years.

昨天我买了一百多块钱的菜。

zuótiān wǒ mǎi le yìbǎi duō kuài qián de cài

Yesterday I bought a hundred-odd yuan's worth of groceries. — 一百多块 = 100–199 whole yuan.

他三十多了，还没结婚呢。

tā sānshí duō le, hái méi jiéhūn ne

He's thirty-something and still not married. — bare 三十多 for age, no measure word needed.

So in 三十多个, 一百多本, 两千多人, the 多 fills in for the un-named smaller units: 三十多个 is 30 to 39 items, 一百多本 is 100 to 199 volumes.

Position 2: after the measure word (a fraction of one more unit)

When the number is a specific whole count of a measurable unit (metres, yuan, hours, jin), 多 goes after that unit, and it now means a fraction of one more — a bit left over that doesn't reach the next whole unit.

这条鱼有三斤多。

zhè tiáo yú yǒu sān jīn duō

This fish weighs three-something jin. — 三斤多 = 3.x jin, over 3 but under 4.

这块布两米多，做条裙子够了。

zhè kuài bù liǎng mǐ duō, zuò tiáo qúnzi gòu le

This cloth is over two metres — enough for a skirt. — 两米多 = 2.x m.

这支笔三块多，不贵。

zhè zhī bǐ sān kuài duō, bú guì

This pen is three-something yuan, not expensive. — 三块多 = 3 yuan and some jiao.

我等了一个多小时他才来。

wǒ děng le yí ge duō xiǎoshí tā cái lái

I waited over an hour before he showed up. — 一个多小时 = one hour and a bit.

The contrast is sharpest with the same unit at different scales:

Phrase	Pinyin	Structure	Means
一米多	yì mǐ duō	number + unit + 多	1.x metres (a bit over one metre)
一百多米	yìbǎi duō mǐ	round number + 多 + unit	100–199 metres
三块多	sān kuài duō	number + unit + 多	3 yuan and change (3.x)
三十多块	sānshí duō kuài	round number + 多 + unit	30–39 whole yuan

Read the table as a single rule: 多 before the unit = whole extra units; 多 after the unit = a fraction of one unit. Move 多 by one slot and 三块多 (three yuan and change) becomes 三十多块 (thirty-something yuan) — the position is doing real work.

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Don't confuse this 多 with the adjective 多 (duō) "many/much." In 三十多个 the 多 is unstressed and wedged between number and measure word; in 人很多 (rén hěn duō, "there are a lot of people") 多 is a stressed predicate adjective. Same character, different job — the giveaway is that approximation-多 always clings to a number.

What 多 can and can't attach to

多 needs either a round base (十, 百, 千, 万) or a whole count of a unit to sit next to. You cannot bolt it onto a number that already ends in a loose digit: there is no 三十五多 for "thirty-five-odd." When your base is not round, switch to a different device — 三十几 (thirty-something, using 几) or 三十五左右 ("thirty-five or so," see 来 / 左右 / 上下).

现场大概来了三十几个记者。

xiànchǎng dàgài lái le sānshí jǐ ge jìzhě

Roughly thirty-something reporters turned up. — 三十几 covers the same 30s range as 三十多.

多 pairs especially naturally with ages: 二十多岁 (twentysomething), 五十多岁 (in one's fifties). And note it stacks with round hundreds and thousands cleanly — 一千多, 两万多 — always pointing to the range just above the named figure.

Common Mistakes

1. Putting 多 after the measure word for a round-number count. With a round ten/hundred, 多 goes before the measure word.

❌ 教室里有三十个多人。

Incorrect — with a round ten, 多 precedes the MW: 三十多个人.

✅ 教室里有三十多个人。

jiàoshì li yǒu sānshí duō ge rén

There are thirty-odd people in the classroom. — 三十多个.

2. Placing 多 before the number. 多 always follows the figure it enlarges.

❌ 他工作了多三十年。

Incorrect — 多 comes after the number: 三十多年.

✅ 他工作了三十多年。

tā gōngzuò le sānshí duō nián

He worked for thirty-odd years. — number + 多.

3. Mis-slotting 多 in "over an hour." For "one hour and a bit," 多 sits after the measure word 个.

❌ 我等了一多个小时。

Incorrect — the fraction sense needs 多 after the MW: 一个多小时.

✅ 我等了一个多小时。

wǒ děng le yí ge duō xiǎoshí

I waited over an hour. — 一个多小时.

4. Bolting 多 onto a non-round number. 多 can't attach to a figure ending in a loose digit like 三十五.

❌ 来了三十五多个人。

Incorrect — no 多 on a non-round number; use 三十多个 or 三十五左右.

✅ 来了三十多个人。

lái le sānshí duō ge rén

Thirty-odd people came. — round base 三十 + 多.

Key Takeaways

多 after a number means "-odd / and more," always pointing to the range just above the figure: 三十多 = 30s.
Round number + 多 + measure word = extra whole units: 三十多个 (30–39), 一百多米 (100–199 m).
Number + measure word + 多 = a fraction of one more unit: 三块多 (3 yuan + change), 一个多小时 (an hour and a bit).
多 must attach to a round base or a whole unit count — for 三十五, use 三十几 or 三十五左右 instead.
Don't confuse approximation-多 (unstressed, glued to a number) with the adjective 多 "many" (stressed, a predicate).

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