abacus division formula; split equally in half
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 5 examplesnoun
division formula in abacus calculation; 1/2 equals 0.5
archaicSpecifically refers to the mnemonic chant used in traditional abacus (算盘) operations for dividing by two. It is the origin of its metaphorical meaning.
Yé爷
ye爷
jiāo教
wǒ我
dǎ打
suàn算
pán盘
，
dì第
yī一
jù句
kǒu口
jué诀
jiù就
shì是
'
èr二
yī一
tiān添
zuò作
wǔ五
'
。
Grandpa taught me how to use the abacus, and the first formula he taught was 'two-one becomes five'.
verb
to split evenly in half; to go fifty-fifty
informalA widely used idiom in spoken language to describe an equal division of profits, responsibilities, or costs between two parties.
Zhè这
bǐ笔
jiǎng奖
jīn金
wǒ我
men们
èr二
yī一
tiān添
zuò作
wǔ五
，
yī一
rén人
yī一
bàn半
。
Let's split this bonus fifty-fifty, half for each of us.
Shèng剩
xià下
zhè这
diǎn点
huó活
，
zán咱
men们
èr二
yī一
tiān添
zuò作
wǔ五
，
hěn很
kuài快
jiù就
gàn干
wán完
le了
。
Let's split the remaining work equally, and we'll finish it quickly.
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Fàn饭
qián钱
AAA
zhìA
jiù制
，
shì就
èr是
yī二
tiān一
zuò添
wǔ作
五
。
Going Dutch on the meal bill means splitting it fifty-fifty.
Bié别
zhēng争
le了
，
fēng风
xiǎn险
lì利
yì益
èr二
yī一
tiān添
zuò作
wǔ五
，
zuì最
gōng公
píng平
。
Stop arguing; splitting both the risks and the profits equally is the fairest way.