多 duō

many, much, more, a lot of; excessive, extra.

Story

The character 【多】 is a simple and interesting Chinese character, and its shape hides a lovely memory trick—【多】 is made of two 【夕】 (xī) characters placed side by side. In ancient Chinese, 【夕】 originally referred to "meat" (its ancient form looked like a piece of meat), so people often say: 【多】 is two pieces of meat placed next to each other.

This vivid image is closely related to its meaning. In ancient times, having two pieces of meat was a symbol of "having more" or "being abundant", so the character 【多】 gradually evolved to express the meaning of "many" or "much". It is a typical character that combines form and meaning, making it easy for learners to connect its shape with its core meaning.

【多】 is one of the most commonly used characters in daily Chinese. It can be used to describe quantity, compare the number of things, or express "extra" and "excessive". It appears in a large number of daily words, phrases and even idioms, and is an essential character for foreign Chinese learners to master.

Unlike some complex characters, 【多】 has a simple structure—only two identical parts put together. The "two pieces of meat" memory trick not only makes it easy to remember but also adds fun to the process of learning Chinese characters.

Memory Tip

Just remember: two 【夕】 (xī, originally meaning "meat") placed side by side = 【多】 (many/much). Imagine two pieces of meat lying next to each other, and you can quickly memorize the shape and meaning of 【多】.