Definition
四五十 is a Chinese expression for an approximate number between 40 and 50. You create it by simply placing two neighboring digits (四 and 五) together with a ten-unit (十). This pattern also works for other ranges like 三四十 (30–40) and 五六十 (50–60). It's very common in spoken Chinese when exact numbers are not important — for example guessing someone's age or estimating a quantity.
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between forty and fiftyforty or fifty (approximate number)
Examples
- 四五十。Tā kàn qǐlái dàyuē sì wǔ shí suì.He looks about forty or fifty years old.
- 四五十。Wǒmen bān yǒu sì wǔ shí ge xuéshēng.Our class has between forty and fifty students.
- 四五十。Zhè jiàn shì fāshēng zài sì wǔ shí nián qián.This happened about forty or fifty years ago.
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