差不多 in Context

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差不多

Usage 1 - "about, approximately (“difference not much”)": 

Sentence：

我的体重差不多40公斤。

English:

My bodyweight is about 40 kilos.

Top-Down Words:

体重 tǐzhòng - bodyweight

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Sentence：

这顿饭我差不多能吃完。

English:

I can probably finish eating this meal.

Top-Down Words:

顿 dùn - measure word for punches or hits, for meals of food, for criticisms

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Sentence：

他和我差不多高。

English:

He and I are about the same height.

Top-Down Words:

高 gāo - tall, high

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*Sentence：

那你吃半个就差不多了！

English:

Then eat half of it, and that will do it!

Top-Down Words:

就 jiù - (expressing condition “then”)

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*Sentence：

午饭差不多在中午十二点吃。

English:

Lunch is around twelve.

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*Sentence：

它往外跑，一跑就是差不多半天。

English:

He's been out there for almost half a day.

Top-Down Words:

就 jiù - (grammatical particle) in this case meaning “as soon as” or “right after”.
跑 pǎo - to run

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*Sentence：

每天中午差不多十二点，你就能看见右边都是女人，而男人都在左边。

English:

Every day around noon, you'll see on the right are all women and on the left are all men.

Top-Down Words:

就  jiù - (expressing condition “then”)
都 dōu - all, every
男人 nánrén - man
而 ér - while

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The Six Steps to Learning Words

Understanding Chinese Words - Morphemes

3 Questions About Words

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Member Comments from 2019-mid-2020

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Rick Angleland

它往外跑，一跑就是差不多半天。
它 is "it" so presumably it doesn't refer to a human but an animal?
Does the first half of this sentence mean "he ran outside [and then ....]"?

Mandarin Blueprint

Yes, this is a part of a longer story, so you'll get the context when you arrive there ;).

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Rick Angleland

What's the difference between 差不多 and 大概？
It seems like 大概 is used to mean "possibly/probably" but also "approximately".

Mandarin Blueprint

Good question, here's an answer for you:
https://www.loom.com/share/d56ef114745d4ab88046500806052c30

概念 gàiniàn - concept
概括 gàikuò - generalize, epitomize, sum-up
概况 gàikuàng - general situation, a brief account
大约 dàyuē -OR- 约 yuē - approximately (more formal)

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Beth Perazzo

In this example "它往外跑，一跑就是差不多半天。He's been out there for almost half a day" you have 跑 pǎo - to run as a top down word, but the word run is not in the translation. What am I missing? Thanks.

Mandarin Blueprint

跑 can also mean "to run errands"

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Rick Angleland

G.E.M.鄧紫棋 raps this word about a hundred times in her song 差不多姑娘 MISS SIMILAR - see the official video on youtube. A good way to learn this word.

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Mateusz Strzelecki

What is the difference between 差不多 and 左右?

MB Team

This is where Luke & Phil talked about your question in the Mandarin Blueprint Podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idNY00Gl1Es&t=1847s