百 bǎi hundred
hundred; countless; all kinds of
How to remember 百: 一 one + 白 white = hundred. The girl pins one more white-framed holiday photo to the wall, counts them all and gets exactly a hundred.
Component breakdown
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
百 = 一 one + 白 white
- 一 one meaning
- 白 white sound
The girl pins one more white-framed holiday photo to the wall, counts them all and gets exactly a hundred.
How it came to be
The oldest form is the sign for white with one stroke on top: the stroke gives the meaning, the sign for white the sound.
How it is used
- The number hundred: 三百 (sānbǎi) 300, 百分之十 (bǎi fēn zhī shí) 10 percent.
- Figuratively it means 'all kinds of / countless': 百货 (bǎihuò) general merchandise, 百般 (bǎibān) in every possible way, 千方百计 (qiānfāng-bǎijì) by every means.
- 老百姓 (lǎobǎixìng) 'ordinary people/commoners' literally means 'the hundred surnames'.
Characters built with 百
Words with 百
- 老百姓lǎobǎixìngordinary peopleHSK 5
- 百分点bǎifēndiǎnpercentage pointHSK 6
- 百货bǎihuògeneral merchandiseHSK 6
- 千方百计qiānfāng-bǎijìliterally thousand ways, a hundred plansHSK 7
- 百分比bǎifēnbǐpercentageHSK 7
- 百合bǎihélilyHSK 7
- 百科全书bǎikēquánshūencyclopediaHSK 7
- 百般bǎibānin hundred and one waysHSK 7
- 千姿百态qiānzī-bǎitàito come in many different shapesHSK 8
Example sentences
- 我有一百块钱。 Wǒ yǒu yībǎi kuài qián.I've got one hundred RMB.
- 他跑了一百米。 Tā pǎole yì bǎi mǐ.He ran 100 meters.
- 老人人口占总人口的百分之三十。 Lǎorén rénkǒu zhàn zǒng rénkǒu de bǎifēnzhī sān shí.Elderly people account for 30% of the total population.