More Or Less (差不多)
差不多
差不多 (chàbuduō) means "more or less," "almost," or "about the same" and is one of the most useful conversational expressions in Chinese for indicating approximate similarity or quantity.
Pattern
A 跟 B 差不多 / 差不多 + Number/Verb
Explanation
差不多 literally means "differ not much" and is used to indicate approximate equality, similarity, or nearness. It is extremely versatile and common in everyday Chinese. It can function as an adjective ("similar/about the same"), an adverb ("almost/nearly"), or a standalone response ("close enough/good enough").
As an adjective, 差不多 compares two things and says they are approximately equal: 这两个差不多 (these two are about the same). As an adverb, it means "almost" or "approximately": 差不多三个小时 (about three hours). As a standalone response, it is one of the most Chinese expressions possible — conveying "that's close enough" or "pretty much."
Compare with 几乎 (jīhū): 几乎 is more formal, more precise, and specifically means "almost." 差不多 is more colloquial, more flexible, and carries the additional meaning of "good enough" or "approximately."
Examples
我们的年龄差不多。
Wǒmen de niánlíng chàbuduō.
We are about the same age.
差不多到了，还有五分钟。
Chàbuduō dào le, hái yǒu wǔ fēnzhōng.
We're almost there, five more minutes.
他的中文跟她的差不多。
Tā de Zhōngwén gēn tā de chàbuduō.
His Chinese is about the same level as hers.
差不多一百块钱。
Chàbuduō yìbǎi kuài qián.
About 100 yuan.
"做完了吗？""差不多了。"
"Zuò wán le ma?" "Chàbuduō le."
"Are you done?" "More or less."
Common Mistakes
Wrong
他们很差不多。
Correct
他们差不多。
差不多 already contains the meaning of "quite similar." Adding 很 is redundant.
Wrong
差不多一样的高。
Correct
差不多一样高。
When using 差不多一样, drop 的 — the adjective follows directly.
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