百 (bǎi) - hundred & numerous

百Tone 3

bǎi ｜ 6 strokes ｜ radical: 白

傲不

百 · bǎi

hundred;

numerous;

many;

all kinds of

hundrednumerousmany

Usage highlights

one hundredhundreds ofdepartment storehundred flowershundred surnameshundred percent

Synonyms

  • 佰— hundred (formal, financial usage)
  • 众多— numerous, many
  • 许多— many, much

Antonyms

  • 一— one (antonym to hundred)
  • 少— few, little
  • 寡— few, scant

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • There are one hundred students in the school (一百个学生).
  • I have read hundreds of books (百本书).
  • This medicine is effective for many ailments (百病).
  • The store sells all kinds of goods (百货).

Collocations

  • one hundred(一百)
  • hundreds of(数百)
  • department store(百货)
  • hundred flowers(百花)
  • hundred surnames(百姓)
  • hundred percent(百分之百)

Idioms

  • Hundred flowers bloom(百花齐放)
  • All streams flow into the sea(百川归海)
  • Hundreds of responses to a single call(百呼百应)
  • Fight a hundred battles, win a hundred victories(百战百胜)
  • All kinds of strange things(百怪千奇)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Represents abundance and completeness in Chinese culture, often used symbolically to mean 'many' or 'all'.
  • The 'hundred surnames' (百姓) historically referred to the common people and later became a term for the general populace.
  • In the Hundred Schools of Thought period (百家争鸣), various philosophical schools flourished during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.

FAQ