多半

duō bàn

most; the greater part; chiefly; probably

HSK Level 6

Example Sentences

他多半会来。

tā duōbàn huì lái.

He will probably come.

这件事多半是真的。

zhè jiàn shì duōbàn shì zhēnde.

This matter is probably true.

他多半已经走了。

tā duōbàn yǐjīng zǒule.

He has probably already left.

Synonyms

Antonyms

很少 (hěn shǎo)

seldom

极少 (jí shǎo)

very few

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Etymology & Components

The Chinese word 多半 (duōbàn) is composed of two characters: 多 (duō), meaning "many" or "most", and 半 (bàn), meaning "half". Together, they literally mean "most of the time" or "in most cases". The word 多半 is often used to express probability or likelihood, and can be translated as "probably", "likely", or "mostly". For example, the sentence 多半他会来 (duōbàn tā huì lái) means "He will probably come".The word 多半 is also sometimes used to express a sense of uncertainty or doubt. For example, the sentence 多半他不会来 (duōbàn tā bù huì lái) means "He probably won't come". In this sense, 多半 is similar to the English word "maybe".The word 多半 is a very common word in Chinese, and it is used in both spoken and written language. It is an important word to know for HSK learners, as it can be used to express a variety of different meanings.