shí HSK 1

English Meaning

Categories

📚 Example Sentences

十个人。
Shí gè rén.
Ten people.
我有十。
Wǒ yǒu shí.
I have ten.
十是十。
Shí shì shí.
Ten is ten.
我双手有十根手指。
Wǒ shuāngshǒu yǒu shí gēn shǒuzhǐ.
I have ten fingers on my hands.
她将在十点钟到达。
Tā jiāng zài shí diǎnzhōng dàodá.
She will arrive at ten o'clock.

💡 Memory Tip

Imagine the character 十 as a cross or plus sign (+), which can remind you of adding numbers to reach ten. Think of it as two lines intersecting: one horizontal (一) for 'one' and one vertical, combining to form the idea of 'ten' as a complete unit.

📝 Usage Notes

This word is used universally in all registers—formal and informal, spoken and written. It is most common in counting, dates (e.g., for days of the month), ages, quantities, and mathematical contexts. For example, it's standard in calendar dates like '三月十号' (March 10th).

📖 Grammar Points

十 is used in cardinal numbers (e.g., 十个人, ten people) and ordinal numbers with 第 (e.g., 第十, dì shí, tenth). In compound numbers, it follows multipliers (e.g., 三十, thirty) and precedes units (e.g., 十二, twelve). It can also act as a component in measure words like 十年 (shí nián, ten years).

🏯 Cultural Notes

In Chinese culture, 十 often symbolizes perfection or completeness, as seen in idioms like 十全十美 (perfect). It is also culturally significant in the decimal system and traditional groupings, such as the 'Ten Heavenly Stems' (天干) in historical contexts.

🔄 Similar Words

As a numeral, it is similar to other basic numbers like 一 (yī, one) or 百 (bǎi, hundred). It differs in representing a specific decimal base; unlike 百 (hundred) or 千 (qiān, thousand), 十 is used for tens place in compound numbers (e.g., 十五, shíwǔ, fifteen).

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