十

shí

ten

我有十本书。

I have ten books.

formal

The cardinal number 10; one more than nine.

现在是十点。

It's ten o'clock now.

他跑了十公里。

He ran ten kilometers.

这栋楼有十层。

This building has ten floors.

Used in counting, time, measurements, and ordinal contexts (第十).

Collocations

十字路口crossroads十全十美perfect in every way十月October十八般武艺versatile in many skills

Related Phrases

十有八九idiom

in eight or nine cases out of ten; most likely

十拿九稳idiom

90% certain; very likely

Pro Tip

Counting in Chinese

Combine 十 with other numbers to form larger numbers (e.g., 二十 = 20, 三十 = 30). For numbers 11–19, use 十 + unit (e.g., 十一 = 11).

Gold Rule

十 in Time Expressions

十 is used directly with 时 (hour) to indicate time (e.g., 十点 = 10:00). For minutes, use 分 (e.g., 十点十分 = 10:10).

Word Origin

Pictogram of a hand (十) representing the number ten, derived from Oracle Bone Script (甲骨文). The character evolved from a cross-like symbol indicating a full ten fingers/toes.

Usage Notes

In Chinese, 十 is used as both a numeral and a unit in compound numbers (e.g., 十一 = 11, 二十 = 20). It often appears in idioms (e.g., 十全十美) and time expressions (e.g., 十点 = 10 o'clock).

Word Breakdown

十

ten

root

汉英词典

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