# 十二万分的同情



## indigoduck

Hi all,

I heard the expression "表示十万二分的同情" on TV.  I'm not sure exactly what it means.  

Where did they choose the number 十万 and 2 points (二分) ?  It sounds a little sarcastic to me.

Can someone please explain its meaning ?

Thanks in advance.


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## Ghabi

I think there's no 十 in the utterance. "万二分..." means "the greatest ...". But why 万二? I've no idea.


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## tomlearnenglish

十二万分的同情makes more sense~~


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## echo_zkl

Ghabi said:


> I think there's no 十 in the utterance. "万二分..." means "the greatest ...". But why 万二? I've no idea.



"我向你表示万二分的歉意"? is it correct?  Interesting


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## xiaolijie

Ghabi said:
			
		

> But why 万二? I've no idea


Could it have something to do with the commonly used 万一 ?


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## indigoduck

xiaolijie said:


> Could it have something to do with the commonly used 万一 ?


 
Good observation!


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## bamboobanga

lmao !!!!!! i think it is *十二万分*的同情。

*十万火急* means in a serious hurry 。

 you might also hear *万分*感激，*万分*期待，etc。


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## sunxmin

Hiya , I think it should be "十二万分的同情",rather than "十万二分的同情".
"十二万分" is an idiom in chinese, which means an  intense/high degree of ...
When you refer to "十二万分的同情",it means a very deep sympathy.


Hope it helps


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## BODYholic

In Singapore, it would be "万二分". The usage is almost always stereotyped.
Examples,
(谨此)致万二分的歉意.
(谨此)致万二分的谢意.


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## altuntun

十二万分的同情
十分/万分的同情，“十分”“万分”（literally “ten/ten thousand points”） means very，
so，“十二万分”（literally “twelve thousand points”）,means very very very，to strengthen the expression

es un juego de palabras


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## viajero_canjeado

altuntun said:


> “十二万分”（literally “twelve thousand points”）,means very very very，to strengthen the expression



I may need to whip out my abacus to be sure, but I think your math is a little off. Isn't 十二萬 one hundred and twenty thousand?


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## xiaolijie

> I may need to whip out my abacus to be sure, but I think your math is a little off. Isn't 十二萬 one hundred and twenty thousand?


That's right, VC. You must be very good at maths . 
By the way, I read somewhere that “十二万分”is an exaggerated way of saying “十二分”(“十二分”を強調した感情的表現), which sounds quite plausible.


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## viajero_canjeado

xiaolijie said:


> That's right, VC. You must be very good at maths .



Just get lots of practice, that's all! I'm still holdin' out for the day when the Chinese people do away with this wacky 10,000 scheme.


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## BODYholic

altuntun said:


> 十二万分的同情
> 十分/万分的同情，“十分”“万分”（literally “ten/ten thousand points”） means very，
> so，“十二万分”（literally “twelve thousand points”）,means very very very，to strengthen the expression
> 
> es un juego de palabras



There is no doubt on your explanation but I'm afraid it still did not address OP's question.


> Where did they choose the number 十万 and 2 points (二分) ?


If “十二万分” means "very" x3 so as to strengthen the intensity, then can I not say "十三万分" or even "十四万分"? If not, why not?


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## xiaolijie

> If “十二万分” means "very" x3 so as to strengthen the intensity, then can I not say "十三万分" or even "十四万分"? If not, why not?


Just a try: number 12 has a special status in Chinese, and is not just an arbitary number. If one can just choose any number for the expression, then the communication will fail to convey what is intended. 
(I think numbers 1, 2, 10 and 12 are special in various ways in many cultures)


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## JohnChance

In Chinese, I believe it should be 十二万分. It means "very very very very ....". It's oral, but mostly serious, especially when you want to apology to someone or express your sympathy to someone's encounter. But if you say “十三万分” or “十四万分”, it may sound not so serious, sometimes it even makes others not so comfortable.


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## flying dophin

十万二分就是表示很....非常.....极其....，在这里不论是十万还是二分都没有实质性的表示数量，只是用来表示同情的程度。但是我们一般不这样说，这样说有点太随便，比如朋友之间开玩笑等，如果一个人真的需要同情然后你说十万二分的同情也许会让对方误解为你没有诚意，有玩弄人的感觉，我们一般就说：我十分的同情，万分的同情，极其的同情，打心底里同情...等等，希望对你有所帮助


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