What Does 差不多 (chà bu duō) Mean in Chinese?
Enhanced context lessonCommon
Almost / Roughly the same / Good enough
Quick answer: What does 差不多 mean?
差不多 — Signals that something is close rather than exact. The comparison or current task determines what it is close to.
✓Almost there.
✓About the same.
✓Close enough for now.
What Chinese people actually mean
差不多 can compare two things or mark that a job is nearly finished. “差不多了” may also mean it is time to stop, depending on context.
Literal meaning
Literally, the difference is not much.
When not to use it
Do not translate it as exactly equal when the speaker only means roughly the same.
Common mistakes
- It can signal approximation or that something is nearly finished.
Chinese characters
Open each character to see its own meanings and vocabulary links.
差chànot up to standard; inferior不buMeaning in this word: context-dependent多duōmany; much; more; a lot of · how (to what extent) (Taiwan pr. [duo2])
Real conversations
1 · Nearly finished
A: 你收拾完了吗？
nǐ shōushi wán le ma?
A: Are you done packing up?
B: 差不多了，再等我两分钟。
chà bu duō le, zài děng wǒ liǎng fēnzhōng.
B: Almost. Give me two more minutes.
2 · Comparing two options
A: 这两件衣服价格一样吗？
zhè liǎng jiàn yīfu jiàgé yíyàng ma?
A: Do these two clothes cost the same?
B: 差不多，蓝色的贵一点。
chà bu duō, lánsè de guì yìdiǎn.
B: About the same; the blue one is a little more expensive.
How to pronounce 差不多
差不多
Tap to hear Mandarin.
When to use it
✓It does not assert exact equality.
✓Add 了 when a process is almost complete.
✓In casual speech, it can mean adequate rather than perfect.
Sources and editorial note
Base dictionary data: CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA 4.0.Context lesson: Original Chinese Meaning context lesson; examples written for this site.