(qiān) - Thousand (archaic numeral) & leader of one thousand men

Tone 1

qiān | 5 strokes | radical: 亻

· qiān

Thousand (archaic numeral);

leader of one thousand men;

used in financial contexts to prevent forgery.

Thousand (archaic numeral)leader of one thousand menused in financial contexts to prevent forgery.

Usage highlights

ThousandCommander of one thousandThousands and hundredsThousand in financial writingAncient military unit

Synonyms

  • thousand (standard numeral)
  • 仟佰thousands and hundreds

Antonyms

  • single/unit (smallest counting unit)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The ancient army had commanders for one thousand men (仟长).
  • On checks, amounts are written with anti-forgery characters like 仟 (仟元).
  • In historical texts, 仟 represented groups of one thousand (仟佰).

Collocations

  • Thousand()
  • Thousand-yuan note(仟元)
  • Commander of one thousand(仟长)
  • Thousands and hundreds(仟佰)
  • Thousand in financial writing(仟圆)
  • Ancient military unit(仟伍)

Idioms

  • Thousands upon thousands(仟仟)
  • Leader of a thousand men(仟夫长)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally denoted a military leader commanding one thousand soldiers.
  • Used as an anti-forgery numeral in financial documents, similar to 佰 (hundred) and 萬 (ten thousand).
  • Appears in classical texts and historical records for counting and military organization.

FAQ