x 的 y 倍

Self note: https://gemini.google.com/app/17e04274f166588c

in mandarin, used to tell like "x 倍" of 2

how about in english?

Ah, "x 倍" is a very common phrase in Mandarin. In English, we usually say "x times".

For your example, "500 是 2 的 250 倍", you can say it like this:

500 is 250 times 2.

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More examples, lah:

• 2 倍 (two times) -> "The new model is two times faster."

• 100 倍 (one hundred times) -> "This material is one hundred times stronger than steel."

It's a direct translation, so you can use it just like in Mandarin.

then, how about 多了多少倍？

Ah, "多了多少倍" is a bit different, lah! This one can be a bit confusing because in English, "how many times more" usually refers to the increase, not the total multiplication.

The most common English question is:

"How many times more...?"

Or a slightly different way:

"By what factor has it increased?"

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Important Point

This is where the direct translation can be tricky.

• In Mandarin, if a number becomes 250 times its original size, you say it's 250 倍.

• In English, you can say it's 250 times bigger. But if you say "249 times more," it means the same thing. This is because it's the original value plus 249 times more.

Example:

• You ask: "How many times more is 500 than 2?"

• The answer is: "500 is 249 times more than 2."

This is because the calculation is (500 / 2) - 1 = 249.

However, to avoid this confusion, many people just say "500 is 250 times bigger than 2."