许多xǔ duōmany; a lot of; much
许多 (xǔ duō) means "many," "a lot of," or "much." It goes before a noun to say there is a large number or amount of something, as in 许多人 (many people). It is close to 很多 but sounds a little more formal, and it often appears in writing.
What does 许多 mean?
- 1.
many; a lot of; muchnumeral
What do the characters in 许多 mean?
- 许not compositional here
- 多many; much; more; a lot of
How do you use 许多?
许多 can go straight before a noun, as in 许多人; it often sounds a little more formal than 很多.
Patterns
许多 + noun
我有许多问题想问你。
Wǒ yǒu xǔduō wèntí xiǎng wèn nǐ.
I have a lot of questions I want to ask you.
What are some examples of 许多 in a sentence?
How is 许多 used in a conversation?
- Speaker A:
这次旅行你去了哪些城市？
Zhè cì lǚxíng nǐ qù le nǎxiē chéngshì?
Which cities did you visit on this trip?
- Speaker B:
去了许多城市，最喜欢北京。
Qù le xǔduō chéngshì, zuì xǐhuan Běijīng.
I went to many cities; I like Beijing best.
- Speaker A:
为什么？
Wèishénme?
Why?
- Speaker B:
那儿有许多好吃的东西。
Nàr yǒu xǔduō hǎochī de dōngxi.
There's a lot of good food there.
What should you learn next?
- Free HSK 3 level testSee which HSK 3.0 level your vocabulary matches.
- HSK 4 word listEvery word at this level, with examples.
- HSK 3.0 guideHow the nine levels and three bands work.
Related words
- 也许yě xǔperhaps; maybeHSK 4
- 允许yǔn xǔto permit; to allowHSK 4
- 多么duō mehow (wonderful etc)HSK 4
- 差不多chà bu duōalmostHSK 3
- 多duōmany; much; more; a lot ofHSK 1
- 俩liǎtwo (colloquial equivalent of 兩個|两个)HSK 4
Browse every entry in the Chinese word dictionary.
English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.