determiner / adjective HSK 3
Traditional 許多
many · much · a lot of · a great deal of
Meaning
许多 is a common quantifier meaning 'many' or 'much' that goes before nouns to indicate a large quantity. It can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns, making it very versatile in everyday speech.
Usage
许多 is slightly more formal than 很多 but both are frequently used in spoken and written Chinese. It appears directly before the noun without requiring a measure word in between, though measure words can optionally follow it (许多个人). It's common in both positive statements and questions but rarely in negative sentences.
Examples
- 01我在北京认识了许多朋友。.I met many friends in Beijing.
- 02学好中文需要许多时间和努力。.Learning Chinese well requires a lot of time and effort.
Characters
Common collocations
- 许多人many people
- 许多年many years
- 许多时候many times, often
- 许多问题many problems
Antonyms
Origin
许 originally meant 'to promise' or 'to allow,' but developed an extended meaning of 'many' when combined with 多. Together they form a compound emphasizing abundance.