Discussion of 分 [fēn] minute (unit of time); unit of length, area or weight; unit of interest rate; unit for expressing fractions and percentages

Discussion of 分

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Other than "minute (unit of time)", 分 can be used to express fractions and percentages: e.g. In this sentence below:
- 晚饭六七分饱就行。 (Wan3fan4 liu4 qi1 fen1 bao3 jiu4 xing2.)
六七分 means "sixty or seventy percent (full)". The whole sentence means: "For dinner, it is enough for us to eat until we are sixty or seventy percent full".
For more usages of 分 in this meaning, please refer to the example sentences.

lisaC

分 vs 分钟

分 and 分钟 can both mean "minute" - what's their difference?
1. 分钟 (minute) is a noun that indicates time periods. 分 is a measure word that indicates time points for most parts. Compare these two:
- 他花了十分钟才把鞋带解开。It took him ten minutes to unlace his shoes.
- 十点十一分 ten o'clock and eleven (10:11)

2. 分 has many other meanings that 分钟 does not have, which we will not enumerate in this post. Because of that, when 分 is used without clear contexts, it's often not clear which meaning it takes on.
For example: 七分 can mean "seven cents", "seven points"; "seven minutes (past a certain hour)", or "seventy percent"

lisaC

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