Fractions & Percentages

Expressing fractions -

分数

fēn shù

- are tricky because the numbers are spoken in reverse order compared to the order in English. While in English the numerator (number on top) comes before the denominator (number on the bottom), in Chinese they are spoken in reverse order. So the equivalent to the English "two thirds" would be “three parts with two (of the fractional parts)” in Chinese grammar. Fractions and percentages are both expressed in the same way, using the expression

分之

fēn zhī

("parts with") to separate the two numbers, with the denominator coming first and the numerator last. Here are some general fractionexamples: Note that to say ‘one-half’ (1/2) you can also just use the word for “one half”:

一半

yī bàn

For any other fraction you need to use the standard pattern: You can also express a fraction where the numerator is greater than the denominator, such as 4/3’s ‘four-thirds’, using the same structure, just remember to put the denominator first, and don’t be fooled when you hear this number, it’s *not* 3/4’s: For compound numbers with a both a whole and a fractional part (e.g. “One and one-half”), use

又

yòu

to combine them: Expressing a percentage is essentially the same is expressing a fraction where the denominator is always 100:

百分之	bǎi fēn zhī

And that’s all there is to fractions and percentages!

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