Skip to main content
7 of 19
added 483 characters in body; deleted 46 characters in body; added 2 characters in body
Victor
  • 1.9k
  • 11
  • 9

You misunderstand 分 here.

分 does not mean "division" here. Here 分 means the "points" (test score), in an exam or a contest where the perfect score is 10.

分 can also means "perdec" (per ten, a tenth).

三分 3 points (out of 10), 3 perdec (3/10)

五分 5 points (out of 10), 5 perdec (5/10)

十分 ①[original meaning] 10 points (out of 10), perfect score, full marks ②[extended meaning] "perfectly", very, extremely

幾分 how many points (out of 10), how many perdec

Assuming that there is an exam called "love", how many points can I get from the exam?

我愛你有幾分?

How many points do I love you?

How many perdec do I love you?

= How much do I love you?

Extra examples:

三分天注定,七分靠打拼。 [famous lyrics]

Three points depend on fate, while seven points depend on hardworking.

3/10 depends on fate, 7/10 depends on hardworking.

[Chinese version of "nature versus nurture"]

逢人只說三分話,未可全拋一片心。[idiom]

Every time you meet a person, you should only say 3 perdec (3/10) of your mind. You should not "throw the entire heart to them" (tell all you mind).


As for proportion, Western culture prefers to use "percent" (per hundred, a hundredth), while Chinese culture traditionally uses "perdec" (per ten, a tenth), known as 分, 成, 折.

Examples:

三成 three perdec (three tenths, 3/10)

七成 seven perdec (seven tenths, 7/10)

九折 nine perdec remaining (i.e. 10% discount)

八折 eight perdec remaining (i.e. 20% discount)

Victor
  • 1.9k
  • 11
  • 9