钱数表示法

Chinese spoken money uses three units: - 块 (kuài) = the spoken form of 元 (yuán) — the main currency unit (like 'dollar' vs 'buck') - 毛 (máo) = the spoken form of 角 (jiǎo) — one tenth of a 块 (like 10 cents) - 分 (fēn) — one hundredth of a 块 (very rare in modern use)

Key rules: 1. Large to small order: 块 → 毛 → 分. Never reverse the order. 2. 毛 can be dropped when it is the last unit: 八块五 = 八块五毛 = 8.50 yuan. 3. Zero in the middle: if the 块 digit is followed by a zero and then a 分, you must say 零: 一块零五分 (1.05 yuan). 4. 钱 (money) is optional after the price: 三块 and 三块钱 both work. 5. For prices in sentences, no verb is needed: 这本书二十块 (This book is 20 yuan). The price directly follows the item.

Formal written Chinese uses 元 instead of 块 and 角 instead of 毛. You will see 元 on receipts, menus, and price tags. But in conversation, always use 块 and 毛.

When NOT to use this pattern: 块, 毛, and 分 are currency-specific. Do not use them for counting regular things — use measure words (个, 本, 张) instead.