差不多
chābùduō · HSK 2
good enough
👌 差不多 = differ + not + much → 'differs not much' = good enough
差 (chà) means 'to differ/lack', 不 (bù) is 'not', 多 (duō) is 'much/many'. Literally 'the difference isn't much' — a classic Chinese idiom for 'close enough' or 'more or less'.
差 — 垂 (drooping) + 工 (work/tool)
Originally depicted a hand reaching down to grasp grain stalks of uneven length, suggesting discrepancy or unevenness. From this came the meaning 'difference' or 'to differ.' The reading chā specifically carries the sense of disparity, while other readings developed meanings like 'to dispatch' (chāi) and 'poor/lacking' (chà).
不 — single pictograph; bird flying upward
Originally a pictograph in oracle bone script, traditionally interpreted as a bird flying up toward the sky and unable to come down, suggesting negation or refusal. Over time it became the standard negation word in Chinese, used before verbs and adjectives to mean 'not'.
多 — two 夕 (evening) stacked
多 originally depicted two pieces of meat (夕, a variant of 肉) stacked together, suggesting abundance. Over time it was reanalyzed as two 'evenings' piled up — many evenings meaning many days, hence 'many, much'. The doubling itself conveys quantity.