what is the meaning of zui4duo1

[piano0011]

What is the difference between zui4duo1 and zui4shao3? From my understanding, one meaning of zui4 is most... i guess the meaning of zui4duo1 = the most? Can I say....

 

1) zuiduo gui dongxi = the most expensive things?

2)zuiduo gui yifu = the moxt expensive clothes?

[becky82]

Here 最 (zuì) is a Chinese prefix equivalent to the "-est" suffix in English.  It's used before an adjective to make it superlative.  For example, 大 (dà) = "big" and 最大 (zuì dà) = "biggest".  Likewise, we have 最胖 (zuì pàng) = "fattest", 最高 (zuì gāo) = "tallest/highest", 最漂亮 (zuì piàoliang) = "the most beautiful", 最淘气 (zuì táoqì) = "the naughtiest".  You would usually be comparing multiple of something, and use phrases like this to point out the most extreme cases.

 

(It's also used before verb phrases, like 最愿意吃辣的 (zuì yuànyì chī là de) = "the most willing to eat spicy [food]".  In this context, 最 means "most".)

 

On 1/12/2024 at 9:57 AM, piano0011 said:

1) zuiduo gui dongxi = the most expensive things?

2)zuiduo gui yifu = the moxt expensive clothes?

 

Here, you'll want 最贵 (zuì guì) = "most expensive" (adding 最 before the adjective 贵), so we have:

• 最贵的东西 (zuì guì de dōngxī) = "the most expensive thing" and
• 最贵的衣服 (zuì guì de yīfú) = "the most expensive clothes".

When prefixed with 最 (zuì), we can infer that both 多 (duō) and 少 (shǎo) are functioning as adjectives, i.e., "much/many" and "few", so 最多 (zuìduō) = "most-est" or "most" and (zuìshǎo) = "least-est" or "fewest/least".  These words are not capable of describing nor modifying 贵 (guì) = "expensive" (which is an adjective).

 

We can use similar phrases to describe the 价格 (jiàgé) = "price" (which is a noun; we could also use its synonym 价钱 (jiàqián) = "price"), but 多 and 少 are the wrong adjectives to describe price; instead we say:

• 价格最贵的东西 (jiàgé zuì guì de dōngxī) = "the most expensive-priced thing"
• 价格最便宜的东西 (jiàgé zuì piányí de dōngxī) = "the most cheap-priced thing"
• 价格最高的东西 (jiàgé zuìgāo de dōngxī) = "the most high-priced thing"
• 价格最低的东西 (jiàgé zuìdī de dōngxī) = "the most low-priced thing"

Not all things can be described as 多 (duō) = "much/many" and 少 (shǎo) = "little/few".  (This is like in English, we wouldn't say "many price" nor "much price", but rather "high price" or "expensive price".)  If we want to use 最多 (zuìduō) or 最少 (zuìshǎo), we need to find things that can be described as 多 (duō) and 少 (shǎo), and we need multiple of them.

• Countable: 牙齿 (yáchǐ) = "teeth".  牙齿最少的孩子是小王 (yáchǐ zuìshǎo de háizi shì Xiǎo Wáng) = "the child with the fewest teeth is Xiao Wang".
• Uncountable: 水 (shuǐ) = "water".  水最多的杯子是左边的 (shuǐ zuìduō de bēizi shì zuǒbiān de) = "the cup with the most water is on the left".

As we learn Chinese, we need to pay attention to what adjectives can describe what nouns.

[piano0011]

Appreciate the detailed explanation but can you provide more examples on how to use the word zui4duo1? Can I add the word people in this sentence somehow? I guess zui4gui4 and zui4shao3 are more commonly used to refer to prices as you mentioned?

[piano0011]

Can someone give me more examples on how to use zui4duo1?

[becky82]

I asked ChatGPT, and it whipped up these example sentences:

• 
  
• 每天最多可以喝两杯咖啡。  (Měi tiān zuìduō kěyǐ hē liǎng bēi kāfēi.)  You can drink up to two cups of coffee per day.
• YouTube上观看次数最多的视频是……  (YouTube shàng guānkàn cìshù zuìduō de shìpín shì……)  The most-watched video on YouTube is...
• 这个房间最多能容纳十个人。 (Zhège fángjiān zuìduō néng róngnà shí gè rén.)  This room can accommodate up to ten people at most.

(It seems ChatGPT has found a way to use 最多 I didn't mention in my previous post.)  Other ways of finding example sentences include the Pleco dictionary and databases like YouDao or Jukuu.

 

If you want to make your own, think up nouns that can be described by 多 (duō) and 少 (shǎo) in Chinese, and use them like "the bag on the right contains the most balls" (comparing one collection with others) or "the bottle can contain at most 5 liters of water" (a theoretical maximum; this is the case I forgot to mention in my last post).

 

Note: the opposite of 最贵 (zuì guì) = "most expensive" is 最便宜 (zuì piányi) = "cheapest".

[piano0011]

I guess that any word with using duo1 can be used in zui4duo1 just like any words that can be used with gui4 can be used with zui4gui4.. zui4 is used for emphasis.. i guess @lulu