数额

• Pinyin: shù é
• Hanzi breakdown: 数 = 米 + 攵 (grain + action — to count; number); 额 = 客 + 页 (forehead/face + head — forehead; a specified quota or amount)

Meaning

Amount; sum; quota; a specific numerical figure, especially in financial or legal contexts.

Formal term used in legal documents, financial reports, and administrative language. 赔偿数额 (compensation amount), 贷款数额 (loan amount), 数额巨大 (huge sum — a legal term denoting a threshold for aggravated criminal liability in Chinese law).

Examples

1. 检方称，被告五年间虚开发票、截留拨款，侵吞公款数额达三千余万元，属特别巨大。 The prosecution said the defendant fabricated invoices and withheld allocations over five years, embezzling public funds worth more than 30 million yuan, which counts as especially large.
2. 合同未约定赔偿数额上限，纠纷后双方对损失评估和赔付范围产生重大分歧。 The contract did not set a cap on the compensation amount, so after the dispute, the two sides sharply disagreed on loss assessment and the scope of payment.
3. 中央财政转移支付数额测算要综合地方缺口、公共服务均等化和区域发展重点。 The amount of central fiscal transfer payments must be calculated by considering local funding gaps, equal access to public services, and key regional development priorities.

Usage Guide

Context: law, finance, administration, contracts, audit

Tone: precise

Do Say

• 法院量刑时常以犯罪数额为核心参考，并据数额大小确定法定刑幅度。(When sentencing, courts often use the criminal amount as the core reference and set the statutory penalty range according to its size.)
• 慈善机构应披露捐款数额、来源和用途；数额与支出明显不符而无解释时，应启动独立审计。(Charitable institutions should disclose donation amounts, sources, and uses; if the amount clearly does not match spending and no explanation is given, an independent audit should be launched.)

Don't Say

• 数额 for quantities of non-monetary or non-countable items — 数额 specifically refers to numerical amounts in financial, legal, or administrative contexts such as sums of money and approved quotas; for general quantities or volumes use 数量 (quantity), 总量 (total volume), or 规模 (scale) instead

Origin & History

数 (to count; number — 米 grain + 攵 action) + 额 (forehead; a specified amount or quota — 客 face/forehead + 页 head)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal