Can you still use "Number + MW + 多" when the Number can be more than one MW larger?

Question

I have a doubt related to these questions: Does 多 always come after the measure word？, How to correctly use "多" to say "more than"?

In the answers, they explain you can give an approximate quantity of a noun with the following structure:

Number + Measure Word (MW) + 多 (+ Noun)

The quantity of the noun is more than the Number of MW (but less than the Number plus one unit of MW).

An example:

我们走了两个多小时。

We walked for more than two hours (but less than three hours).

Could you still express with the same structure an approximation that can be more than one MW larger? (And maybe less than some other larger MW value). In the example, this approximation could be: We walked for more than two hours (but less than four hours). If that is not possible, how could you express this situation? Maybe using 几? (They mentioned in some of the other posts' answers that 几 could used for larger approximations when you don't know its limits).

Answer 1

How could you express the case when your approximation can be more than one MW larger? In the example, it could be: We walked for more than two hours.

我们走了[至少]兩个小时。 = We walked for [at least] two hours

我们走了[超過]兩个小时。 = We walked for [over] two hours

我们走了[不止]兩个小时。= We walked for [more than] two hours

All three above can refer to the amount of time beyond one MW larger.

Can you still use “Number + MW + 多” when the Number can be more than one MW larger?

多 in "我们走了[超過/不止]兩个[多]小时 would be redundant, because "超(over) and "不止" (more than) already indicated it is more than two hours

"至少" in "我们走了至少兩个小时" also implied 'could be more'

Edit:

Dan wrote:

More than two hours but less than four hours could be roughly 两三个小时

It works only when it is between two and three hours. Doesn't work beyond three hours

我们走了兩三个小时 means "We walked two, three hours

(it also implies, not more than two hours by just a little; it has to be something between two and a half hours and three hours)

Answer 2

I think it depends very much on the number you're talking about. To me, 两个多小时 means 2 to 3 hours (including 2 hours but excluding 3 hours). However, 十多分钟 can means 10 to 20 minutes (not including 20 minutes), here instead of one MW you can have 10 MW more than stated. And 一百多万 means 1 million to 2 million, same here, the difference is more than 1 万(ten thousand).

Answer 3

When we say "MW+多" that mean a little more than an integer. Examp: 2个多小时. Mean: less 2.5小时 If pass 2.5小时, always use “不到3小时”

Answer 4

[For the seek of clarity, I summarize the answers and comments in this answer.]

The aim of my question was to understand better the structure Number + MW + 多 (+ Noun), as I still had some doubts from the linked posts. After all the comments and answers, I think the meaning of the structure comes closer to the English expression and something:

Number + MW + 多 (+ Noun).

Number of MW and something; something between the Number of MW and a unit larger.

In the example:

我们走了两个多小时。

We walked for two hours and something; something between two and three hours.

This works also for the case:

Number times some power of 10 + 多 + MW (+ Noun).

Number times some power of 10 and something MW; something between the Number times some power of 10 and that power of 10 larger.

Example:

我们走了二十多个小时。

We walked for twenty and something hours; something between twenty and thirty hours.

---

So, answering my questions:

1. Could you still express with the same structure an approximation that can be more than one MW larger? (And maybe less than some other larger MW value).

   No.

2. In the example, this approximation could be: We walked for more than two hours (but less than four hours). If that is not possible, how could you express this situation?

   (Tang Ho):

   我们走了[至少]兩个小时。 = We walked for [at least] two hours

   我们走了[超過]兩个小时。 = We walked for [over] two hours

   我们走了[不止]兩个小时。= We walked for [more than] two hours

3. Maybe using 几? (They mentioned in some of the other posts' answers that 几 could used for larger approximations when you don't know its limits).

   (Tang Ho): 几个小时 means more than 2 hours but not close to ten hours.

   Thus, more or less the same as in English as 几 means several:

   我们走了几个小时。

   We walked for several hours.

---

(Dan, Tang Ho): Number + MW + 多 (+ Noun) has a similar meaning to Number + (Number + 1) + MW (+ Noun).

Like in English. The example：

我们走了两个多小时。

We walked for two hours and something.

Can also be expressed as:

我们走了两三个小时。

We walked for two, three hours.