A percentage in Chinese is not a special construction to memorise — it is simply a fraction whose denominator happens to be 100. Chinese fractions are said denominator-first: X 分之 Y means "of X parts, Y" (三分之一 = "of three parts, one" = 1/3). A percent is the same frame with 百 (100) locked in as the denominator: 百分之 (bǎi fēn zhī) + the number = "of a hundred parts, N." So 百分之五十 is literally "of-a-hundred-parts, fifty" — and that spells out exactly what the "/100" hidden inside the % sign means. The whole trick for an English speaker is that the "/100" is spoken up front, before the value, not tacked on the end as "percent."
The structure: 百分之 + number
Break 百分之 into its three pieces and it stops feeling like a memorised block:
| Piece | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 百 (bǎi) | hundred — the denominator, said first |
| 分 (fēn) | parts / divide |
| 之 (zhī) | classical "of" — links denominator to numerator |
| the value: 五十, 百, 三点五 … |
| Percent | Chinese | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 50% | 百分之五十 | bǎi fēn zhī wǔshí |
| 100% | 百分之百 | bǎi fēn zhī bǎi |
| 3.5% | 百分之三点五 | bǎi fēn zhī sān diǎn wǔ |
| 0.5% | 百分之零点五 | bǎi fēn zhī líng diǎn wǔ |
| 120% | 百分之一百二十 | bǎi fēn zhī yìbǎi èrshí |
The value can itself be a decimal (百分之三点五 = 3.5%) or exceed 100 (百分之一百二十 = 120%). Whatever the number, it always comes after 百分之.
手机还有百分之二十的电。
shǒujī hái yǒu bǎi fēn zhī èrshí de diàn
The phone still has 20% battery.
这次考试的及格率是百分之百。
zhè cì kǎoshì de jígélǜ shì bǎi fēn zhī bǎi
The pass rate for this exam was 100%.
全国百分之九十的人都用微信。
quánguó bǎi fēn zhī jiǔshí de rén dōu yòng Wēixìn
Ninety percent of people nationwide use WeChat.
打折: the discount trap that costs you money
This section can save you real money, because the everyday Chinese way of quoting a discount runs backwards from English intuition. The verb is 打折 (dǎ zhé), "to discount," and the number in 打 X 折 tells you the fraction of the price you still pay, out of ten — not the amount you save.
So 打八折 (dǎ bā zhé) does not mean "80% off." 八折 = 八成 = 80% of the price — you pay 80%, so you save only 20%. To get the discount you subtract from ten: X 折 means (10 − X)/10 off.
| Chinese | You pay | Actual discount |
|---|---|---|
| 打九折 (dǎ jiǔ zhé) | 90% | 10% off |
| 打八折 (dǎ bā zhé) | 80% | 20% off |
| 打七五折 (dǎ qī wǔ zhé) | 75% | 25% off |
| 打五折 / 打对折 (dǎ wǔ zhé / dǎ duì zhé) | 50% | half off |
| 打三折 (dǎ sān zhé) | 30% | 70% off |
这件大衣打八折，原价一千，现在八百。
zhè jiàn dàyī dǎ bā zhé, yuánjià yìqiān, xiànzài bābǎi
This coat is 20% off — was 1000, now 800.
双十一全场五折，太划算了！
shuāng shíyī quánchǎng wǔ zhé, tài huásuàn le
Everything's half price on Singles' Day — such a bargain!
这双鞋打对折，我马上买。
zhè shuāng xié dǎ duì zhé, wǒ mǎshàng mǎi
These shoes are half off — I'm buying them right now.
The mental shortcut: the lower the 折 number, the bigger the bargain. 打三折 (pay 30%) is a fire sale; 打九折 (pay 90%) is barely a discount. When a Chinese shop shouts 打五折, an English speaker's instinct ("fifty… so half off?") happens to be right here — but only by luck. For 打八折 that instinct gives exactly the wrong answer.
Percent vs. percentage point: 百分之 vs 百分点
News and finance make a distinction English also makes but blurs in casual speech, and Chinese keeps it crisp. If interest rises from 3% to 5%, that is a rise of two percentage points (an absolute jump), not a rise of 2%. Chinese marks the absolute jump with 个百分点 (gè bǎifēndiǎn) — "percentage points" as a countable unit — while a relative change uses 百分之.
利率从百分之三上升到百分之五，涨了两个百分点。
lìlǜ cóng bǎi fēn zhī sān shàngshēng dào bǎi fēn zhī wǔ, zhǎng le liǎng gè bǎifēndiǎn
The interest rate rose from 3% to 5% — up by two percentage points.
公司的利润率提高了百分之十。
gōngsī de lìrùnlǜ tígāo le bǎi fēn zhī shí
The company's profit margin improved by 10% (relative).
Note the countable frame: 一个百分点, 两个百分点 — it takes the measure word 个, because a "percentage point" is a thing you count. This mirrors how multiples also express amounts of change, and it is worth keeping straight in any sentence about growth or rates.
Common Mistakes
1. Putting the number before 百分之 (English order). The denominator 百 always leads.
❌ 五十百分之的人同意。
Incorrect — the /100 is said first: 百分之五十, not 五十百分之.
✅ 百分之五十的人同意。
bǎi fēn zhī wǔshí de rén tóngyì
Fifty percent of people agree.
2. Dropping 之. 百分之 is a fixed unit — 百 · 分 · 之 · number — and the 之 cannot be omitted.
❌ 百分五十
Incorrect — the classical 之 is obligatory: 百分之五十.
✅ 百分之五十
bǎi fēn zhī wǔshí
50%.
3. Reading 打八折 as '80% off.' 打八折 means you pay 80% — it is only 20% off.
❌ 打八折就是便宜百分之八十。
Incorrect — 打八折 means you pay 80%, so it is 20% off, not 80% off.
✅ 打八折就是便宜百分之二十。
dǎ bā zhé jiùshì piányi bǎi fēn zhī èrshí
A 20%-off discount (打八折) means it's 20% cheaper.
4. Confusing percent with percentage point. A move from 3% to 5% is two percentage points, not 2%.
❌ 利率涨了百分之二。
Ambiguous/incorrect if you mean a move from 3% to 5% — that jump is 两个百分点, not 百分之二.
✅ 利率涨了两个百分点。
lìlǜ zhǎng le liǎng gè bǎifēndiǎn
The interest rate rose by two percentage points.
Key Takeaways
- A percentage is a fraction over 100: 百分之 ("of a hundred parts") + the number. 50% = 百分之五十, 100% = 百分之百.
- The denominator 百 is said first, the reverse of English "fifty percent"; never omit 之.
- The value can be a decimal (百分之三点五 = 3.5%) or over 100 (百分之一百二十 = 120%).
- 打 X 折 tells you the fraction of the price you still pay: 打八折 = pay 80% = 20% off. Lower 折 number = bigger discount; 打对折 = half off.
- Absolute rate changes use 个百分点 (percentage points), distinct from a relative 百分之 change.
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Start learning Chinese→Related Topics
- 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'.
- Decimals (三点一四)HSK 2 — Chinese decimals use 点 (diǎn) 'point': the whole-number part is read normally, then every digit after 点 is named one by one — 三点一四 (3.14), 零点五 (0.5).
- 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.
- Saying Prices (多少钱, 三块五)HSK 1 — To ask a price, use 多少钱 (duōshao qián) — never 几. Prices are stated in spoken money units, often per measure: 三块五一斤, 三块钱一个. Totals use 一共, and discounts use 打折 (打八折 = 20% off).