千万

Etymology & Components

The Chinese word 千万 (qiānwàn) is composed of two characters: 千 (qiān) and 万 (wàn). 千 means "thousand", and 万 means "ten thousand". Together, they mean "a great number" or "a million".The character 千 is derived from the ancient Chinese character for "man" (人). The character 万 is derived from the ancient Chinese character for "scorpion" (蠍). The scorpion was seen as a symbol of power and strength, and so the character 万 came to be used to represent a large number.The word 千万 is often used in Chinese to express the idea of "a lot" or "a great deal". For example, you could say 我有很多钱 (wǒ yǒu hěn duō qián), which means "I have a lot of money". You could also say 我很爱你 (wǒ hěn ài nǐ), which means "I love you very much".The word 千万 can also be used to express the idea of "a million". For example, you could say 我有一百万美元 (wǒ yǒu yībǎi wàn měiyuán), which means "I have one million dollars". You could also say 我有一千万个朋友 (wǒ yǒu yīqiān wàn gè péngyou), which means "I have ten million friends".The word 千万 is a very versatile word that can be used in a variety of contexts. It is an important word to know for any HSK learner.