无数

• Pinyin: wú shù
• Hanzi breakdown: 无 = without; 数 = 攴 (strike) + 娄 (constellation, to count), to count or enumerate

Meaning

Countless; innumerable; a vast number.

Used to emphasise an extremely large, uncountable quantity. Functions as an adjective before nouns. More literary and emphatic than 很多. Common in both written descriptions and spoken hyperbole.

Examples

1. 夜空中有无数颗星星在闪烁。 Countless stars are twinkling in the night sky.
2. 她为了这次演出练习了无数遍。 She practised countless times for this performance.
3. 历史上有无数英雄为国家牺牲了生命。 Throughout history, countless heroes sacrificed their lives for the country.

Usage Guide

Context: descriptions, literary, everyday

Tone: emphatic

Do Say

• 这条街上有无数家小吃店。(There are countless snack stalls on this street.)
• 他失败了无数次，但从未放弃。(He failed countless times but never gave up.)

Don't Say

• 我有无数的五块钱。(无数 implies truly immeasurable quantities — using it for small, countable sums sounds hyperbolic to the point of absurdity.)

Origin & History

Compound of 无 (without, no) and 数 (number, count), literally 'without number' — too many to count.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal