Definition

1. Adverb:
   • About, approximately, roughly: Used to indicate an estimated quantity, distance, time, or degree that is not exact or precise.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Từ nhà tôi đến trường khoảng chừng năm cây số. (From my house to my school it is about five kilometres.)
  • Chúng tôi sẽ gặp nhau khoảng chừng 3 giờ chiều. (We will meet at approximately 3 p.m.)
  • Cô ấy khoảng chừng ba mươi tuổi. (She is roughly thirty years old.)

Advanced Usage

• "khoảng chừng" vs. "khoảng": While both mean "about," "khoảng chừng" often carries a slightly stronger nuance of a rough, subjective estimate, whereas "khoảng" can be more neutral. They are often interchangeable.
  • Tôi cần khoảng chừng một triệu đồng. (I need roughly one million dong.)

Variants and Related Words

• Khoảng (adv, n): About; an interval or space.

  • Anh ấy đến khoảng 10 phút trước. (He arrived about 10 minutes ago.)

• Độ chừng (adv): Approximately, about (similar meaning, slightly more colloquial).

  • Độ chừng một giờ nữa là xong. (It will be done in about an hour.)

• Chừng (adv, n): About, roughly; a limit or extent.

  • Chừng vài ngày nữa. (In a few days or so.)

Synonyms

• Approximately: Close to a particular number or time but not exact.
• About: Used to indicate a rough estimate.
• Roughly: In a manner that is not precise or exact.
• Around: Used with numbers or times to indicate approximation.

Related Phrases

• Khoảng chừng như vậy: About like that, approximately that much.

  • Giá cả khoảng chừng như vậy. (The price is about like that.)

• Ước chừng: To estimate, to gauge (often used as a verb).

  • Anh ấy ước chừng khoảng cách. (He estimated the distance.)

1. About, approximately
   • Từ nhà tôi đến trường khoảng chừng năm cây số
     From my house to my school it is about five kilometres