Please choose the correct answer to fill in the blank.
Rose: Nǐmen xuéxiào zhēn dà! Yǒu ___ xuéshēng?
Rose：你们 学校 真 大！有 ___ 学生？
Rose: Your school is so big! How many students are there?
Wáng Jié: Wǔqiān duō gè.
王 杰：5000 多 个。
Wang Jie: More than 5,000.
A. 几(jǐ)
B. 多少(duōshao)
C. 几个(jǐgè)
See Answer Analysis
Correct Answer: B
Something that probably pops up in every person’s daily life is questions about numbers.
(
Listen to the number song)
In the Chinese language, the most frequently used words for asking such questions are “几(jǐ)” and “多少(duōshao).” Though related, they are quite different in usage and are employed in different circumstances.“几(jǐ)”
(Watch a video lesson about the Chinese character)
When used to form a question, “几(jǐ)” usually means “how many,” and it is often used to ask about a quantity or number below ten. “几(jǐ)” is normally followed by a measure word, such as “几个(jǐ gè),” “几本(jǐ běn),” “几天(jǐ tiān),” etc.
The structure is: “几(jǐ)” + Measure Word + Noun
Examples:
Wáng Lì: Linda yǒu jǐ gè háizi?
王 丽：Linda 有 几 个 孩子？
Wang Li: How many children does Linda have?
Jim: Liǎng gè. Yí gè nánháir, yí gè nǚháir.
Jim：两 个。一 个 男孩儿，一 个 女孩儿。
Jim: Two. A boy and a girl.
Mina: Xiǎo péngyou, nǐ jǐ suì le?
Mina： 小 朋友， 你 几 岁 了？
Mina: Little buddy, how old are you?
Kid: Wǒ wǔ suì le.
Kid：我 五 岁 了。
Kid: I’m five years old.
“多少(duōshao)” (Watch a video lesson about the Chinese phrase)
“多少(duōshao)” means “how many” or “how much” and it is used to ask about any quantity or number. Additionally, the measure word following “多少(duōshao)” can be omitted.Examples:
Customer: Zhè xiē shuǐguǒ duōshao qián?
Customer：这 些 水果 多少 钱？Customer: How much is the fruit?
Salesgirl: Sānshí kuài.
Salesgirl：三十 块。
Salesgirl: 30 yuan.
Tom: Nǐmen gōngsī yǒu duōshao (gè) rén?
Tom：你们 公司 有 多少 （个）人？
Tom: How many people are there in your company?
Wáng Míng: Bābǎi (gè) rén.
王 明： 800 （个）人。
Wang Ming: 800 people.
In our test, Rose wants to know how many students are in Wang Jie’s school. The number of people in the school is more than 10, so we should use “多少(duōshao)” here. That means the correct answer is B.
Further Reading:
不 (bù) or 没 (méi), Which Word Shall We Use to Negate the Verb and Say ‘No’?
How to distinguish “以为” and “认为” in accordance with Chinese grammar?
The 3 Most Common Mistakes by Chinese Language Students
