来 / 左右 / 上下 (About) | Chinese (Mandarin) Grammar

Where 多 means strictly "more than," Chinese has a separate set of tools for plain "about, roughly, or so" — an amount that could land a little under or a little over. The three native markers are 来 (lái), 左右 (zuǒyòu, literally "left-right"), and 上下 (shàngxià, "up-down"). What trips English speakers up is not their meaning but their position: 来 wedges inside the number phrase, while 左右 and 上下 hang off the end of it. Get the slot right and these become the most natural "approximately" you can say.

来 — inside a round number, before the measure word

来 slots between a round number and its measure word, exactly where 多 goes: 十来个, 三十来个, 二十来岁. It attaches only to round figures (十, 二十 … 百, 千) and means "about that many," leaning toward up to — 十来个 is "about ten," anywhere from eight to a dozen. It belongs to relaxed, spoken register.

我们班有三十来个学生。

wǒmen bān yǒu sānshí lái ge xuésheng

Our class has about thirty students. — 三十来个, 来 before the MW.

他是个二十来岁的小伙子。

tā shì ge èrshí lái suì de xiǎohuǒzi

He's a young guy of about twenty. — 二十来岁, an everyday age estimate.

这种鱼十来块钱一斤，不算贵。

zhè zhǒng yú shí lái kuài qián yì jīn, bú suàn guì

This fish is about ten yuan a jin, not really expensive. — 十来块.

左右 — after the whole amount, the everyday default

左右 comes after the complete quantity (number + measure word + noun, or a time): 十点左右, 五十岁左右, 一个小时左右. It is the most versatile of the three — it attaches to almost any amount, round or not, and is the "or so" you'll reach for most in daily speech. Register is neutral: fine in conversation and in writing.

我十点左右到，你在楼下等我。

wǒ shí diǎn zuǒyòu dào, nǐ zài lóuxià děng wǒ

I'll get there around ten — wait for me downstairs. — 十点左右.

从这儿到机场要一个小时左右。

cóng zhèr dào jīchǎng yào yí ge xiǎoshí zuǒyòu

It takes about an hour from here to the airport. — 一个小时左右.

他看上去五十岁左右。

tā kàn shàngqù wǔshí suì zuǒyòu

He looks about fifty. — 五十岁左右, after the full age.

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If you learn only one of these, learn 左右. It parks after any amount — a time, a price, a length, an age — and means "or so," so it rescues you whenever you're unsure which marker fits. 三十个左右, 两米左右, 五百块左右 all work without you having to check whether the number is "round enough" for 来 or 多.

上下 — after the amount, tied to a benchmark

上下 also follows the whole amount, but it's narrower: it clusters around a benchmark figure, most often age, height, or weight, and carries a slightly more measured, semi-formal tone than 左右. 三十岁上下 (around thirty), 一米八上下 (about 1.8 m), 五十公斤上下 (fifty kilos or so).

这件行李二十公斤上下。

zhè jiàn xíngli èrshí gōngjīn shàngxià

This bag is around twenty kilos. — 上下 for weight.

他身高一米八上下，很好认。

tā shēngāo yì mǐ bā shàngxià, hěn hǎo rèn

He's around 1.8 m tall, easy to spot. — 一米八上下.

大约 and 差不多 — adverbs that go in front

The two most common "roughly" words are not suffixes at all — they are adverbs placed before the amount, just like English "about." 大约 (dàyuē) is neutral-to-formal "approximately"; 差不多 (chàbuduō) is colloquial and leans toward "almost, nearly," approaching the figure from below.

会议大约进行了两个小时。

huìyì dàyuē jìnxíng le liǎng ge xiǎoshí

The meeting lasted about two hours. — 大约 in front of the amount.

现在差不多十二点了，去吃饭吧。

xiànzài chàbuduō shí'èr diǎn le, qù chīfàn ba

It's almost twelve — let's go eat. — 差不多, 'nearly'.

Because these are front adverbs, English "about thirty" opens up three Chinese strategies: 大约三十个 (adverb in front), 三十个左右 (suffix at the end), or 三十来个 (infix inside). Pick one — don't stack an infix and a suffix together.

Device	Position	Attaches to	Example	Register
来	number + 来 + MW	round numbers only	三十来个	informal, spoken
左右	after the full amount	almost any quantity	十点左右	neutral, most versatile
上下	after the full amount	age / height / weight	三十岁上下	neutral, slightly formal
大约	before the amount	any quantity	大约三十个	neutral / formal
差不多	before the amount	any quantity	差不多三十个	informal, "almost"

Common Mistakes

1. Putting 左右 in front like an English adverb. 左右 is a suffix — it follows the amount.

❌ 会来左右三十个人。

Incorrect — 左右 goes after the amount: 三十个人左右.

✅ 会来三十个人左右。

huì lái sānshí ge rén zuǒyòu

About thirty people will come. — 左右 at the end.

2. Attaching 来 to a non-round number. 来 only follows round figures.

❌ 教室里有三十五来个人。

Incorrect — 来 needs a round number; use 三十来个 or 三十五左右.

✅ 教室里有三十来个人。

jiàoshì li yǒu sānshí lái ge rén

There are about thirty people in the classroom. — round base 三十 + 来.

3. Putting 来 before the number. 来 sits inside, after the number, not before it.

❌ 我买了来十个苹果。

Incorrect — 来 follows the number: 十来个.

✅ 我买了十来个苹果。

wǒ mǎi le shí lái ge píngguǒ

I bought about ten apples. — 十来个.

4. Double-marking with an infix and a suffix. Don't combine 来/多 with 左右 — one approximation marker is enough.

❌ 来了三十来个人左右。

Redundant — pick one: 三十来个 or 三十个左右, not both.

✅ 来了三十个左右。

lái le sānshí ge zuǒyòu

About thirty people came. — a single marker.

Key Takeaways

来 (lái) wedges inside a round number, before the measure word: 三十来个 — informal, "about."
左右 (zuǒyòu) follows the whole amount and fits almost anything: 十点左右, 两米左右 — your safest everyday choice.
上下 (shàngxià) also follows the amount but is tied to age, height, weight benchmarks: 三十岁上下 — slightly more formal.
大约 and 差不多 are front adverbs ("about" / "almost"): 大约三十个, 差不多十二点.
English "about thirty" = 大约三十个 or 三十个左右 or 三十来个 — choose one device, never stack an infix and a suffix.

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