Chinese numeral

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July 16, 2026

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The Chinese numeral system is a multiplicative grouping system. In such systems, specific names are assigned to numbers 1 through 9, and also to powers of a base, such as 10, 100, and 1,000. These are then combined multiplicatively. For example, 7,392 might be represented as 7 thousands, 3 hundreds, 9 tens, and 2 ones. While modern Chinese uses positional systems, historical Chinese numerals employed this multiplicative principle. Numeral systems, in general, are sets of symbols and rules for representing numbers, with examples including Roman, Greek, and Hindu-Arabic numerals.12

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numerals and numeral systems
Multiplicative grouping systems
…of notation is the Chinese numeral system, three variants of which are shown here. The modern national and mercantile systems are positional systems, as described below, and use a circle for zero.
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…of notation is the Chinese numeral system, three variants of which are shown here. The modern national and mercantile systems are positional systems, as described below, and use a circle for zero.
Read More