# Pronunciation: 約(约)



## NerdTableforone

I am creating my flashcards, and am beginning my Mandarin studies — I am three days in —. My textbook lists two pronunciations, but not a reason for the two: yuē/yāo.

Is there something that I am missing in my studies?


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## retrogradedwithwind

Some people say a table, and some say A table.

"A" has two pronunciations here. Some Chinese characters has more than one pronunciations too.


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## NerdTableforone

Ah. Thank you: I am glad that it is just accent based then. I was worried that it would be based on placement in the sentence.

This is much easier. Thank you again.


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## retrogradedwithwind

It's just too complicated for beginners to learn about the differences among different pronunciations.

But for 约 it's a little simpler.
when 约 means weigh something it pronounces yao. This pronunciation is perhaps popular in the northern part of China.
Except that meaning, 约 pronounces yue.


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## NerdTableforone

Ah. So, it is similar to ‘unionised’ in English. When it is chemistry versus labour unions. I can get that.

非常感谢您


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## SimonChina

Hello!约has two pronunciation actually.[yue]is mostly used,while [yao] is only used when you mean weighing sth.To be honest,most of Chinese don't know the latter one,hahaha.But it doesn't matter.


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## AChineseKitten

SimonChina is right. I've never heard of the second pronunciation (yāo)! It's quite new to me!
I checked the dictionary, and it says it means weigh. I think I'll use "称" to mean it, and that's what most Chinese do, I suppose. I personally think you don't really need to memorize this pronunciation of 约 or use it.
I guess maybe some people in the north will use 约 (yāo) to mean weigh? I have a roommate from the north, and he uses some words I'll never use or even I've never heard of. But anyway, it would be safe to use "称" to mean "weigh" instead of using "约".


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## Enno

I live in the south and I've never heard the pronunciation yāo neither. 
My northern friends told me that it's actually of regional and oral use, meaning weighing something (as a verb).
yuē is commonly recognized as its pronunciation.


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## SimonChina

SimonChina said:


> Hello!约has two pronunciation actually.[yue]is mostly used,while [yao] is only used when you mean weighing sth.To be honest,most of Chinese don't know the latter one,hahaha.But it doesn't matter.


I can say that the pronunciation [yao] is old–fashioned.


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## yuechu

大家好！

I was looking in the Wordreference Chinese dictionary today and found the following sentence example:
一公斤*约*为(為)两(兩)磅。 Yī gōngjīn *yuē *wéi liǎng bàng. A kilo is about two pounds.

I'm assuming that this is a mistake, right? 约 has to be pronounced yāo here, not yuē, right?
Thanks!  

EDIT: Oh, I just realized that it probably means "approximately" here, right? Is yāo also possible though, since they're talking about weights?


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## SimonTsai

It's always 'yue1' for me.


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## AChineseKitten

yuechu said:


> I'm assuming that this is a mistake, right? 约 has to be pronounced yāo here, not yuē, right?
> Thanks!
> 
> EDIT: Oh, I just realized that it probably means "approximately" here, right? Is yāo also possible though, since they're talking about weights?


Yes, it means approximately.
And I think it would be strange to pronounce it as yāo here, since we don’t usually say ‘weigh a kilogram’. We 约yāo specific things, like meat.


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## yuechu

Thanks, Simon and AChineseKitten!


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## yuechu

AChineseKitten said:


> And I think it would be strange to pronounce it as yāo here, since we don’t usually say ‘*weigh a kilo*metre’. We 约yāo specific things, like meat.


哦，有道理。谢谢！


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## Simplicity

yuechu said:


> 大家好！
> 
> I was looking in the Wordreference Chinese dictionary today and found the following sentence example:
> 一公斤*约*为(為)两(兩)磅。 Yī gōngjīn *yuē *wéi liǎng bàng. A kilo is about two pounds.
> 
> I'm assuming that this is a mistake, right? 约 has to be pronounced yāo here, not yuē, right?
> Thanks!
> 
> EDIT: Oh, I just realized that it probably means "approximately" here, right? Is yāo also possible though, since they're talking about weights?


约(or 大约), pronounced "yue", means approximately here. Never say "yao" unless you wanna sound like a Beijinger in their sixties, buying vegetables or eggs at some morning market. Then you would hand what you want to the stand owner and say, " 您给我约(yao)一下这个。"


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## yuechu

Hi, Simplicity! Thanks for your reply!
Oh, is it mainly older Beijingers who use it? (Younger Beijingers or Northerners would not?)


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## Simplicity

yuechu said:


> Hi, Simplicity! Thanks for your reply!
> Oh, is it mainly older Beijingers who use it? (Younger Beijingers or Northerners would not?)


I didn't do any research on this, but it seems like one of the slang expressions original Beijingers use, especially when they go to the morning market, thus mostly older people😄. Maybe also used in other towns or cities? I'm not sure. But as far as I know, it's just a very very local expression no matter where it is used. Out of a certain place or a certain circle of people, you will probably never hear people using it. Hope I have made myself clear.😂


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## yuechu

OK, great. Thanks, Simplicity!


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