<p>翻（了）n番 is common phrase, meaning 2^n. For example, 翻一番 = 2, 翻两番 = 4， ....</p>

<p>But the interesting phrase is 翻n倍. Some would take 翻n倍 = 翻n番, and some would take 翻n倍 = 1*n, and some take 翻n倍 = 1*(n+1). For example, 50翻3倍 could be 150, 400 or 200. This is really a moot point. Personally, I would take 翻n倍 = 1*(n+1) and 50翻3倍 would be 200.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-19T00:55:54.210Z
2017-10-19T02:00:44.547Z
2017-10-19T02:00:44.547Z
dan
<p>I found that Pleco has the entry. The entry is on neither 一番 or 番 but 翻番.</p>
<p>According to the dictionary:</p>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li>increase by a specified number of times</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p>And the example sentences are:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>翻两番 // quadruple</p>
<p>十年内学生人数翻了一番。 // The school's enrollment doubled in ten years.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-19T13:13:04.383Z
2017-10-19T13:13:04.383Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Blaszard
<p>The correct phrasing should be 与5年前相比翻了一翻. The first 翻 is the verb, the second 翻 is a verb classifier.</p>
<p>More example</p>
<p>斬一斬 (chop one chop = take one chop /chop once)</p>
<p>看一看 (look one look = take one look/ look once)</p>
<p>翻一翻 (flip one flip = take one flip/ flip once = doubling once)</p>
<p>A measure word (e.g. 一, 幾) followed by a 'verb classifier' describe how many times the action verb occurred. If it wrote &quot;翻了幾翻&quot;, then it would mean &quot;flipped a few flips&quot; = &quot;doubled the original number a few times&quot;</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.iciba.com/%E7%BF%BB%E5%80%8D" rel="nofollow noreferrer">翻倍</a></p>
<p>double up</p>
</blockquote>
<p>翻了一翻 actually means &quot;翻(倍)了一翻&quot;</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-19T08:46:10.060Z
翻一翻 means 'take a search'. In 翻一番， 番 means 倍, and 翻 means multiply.
dan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-19T09:02:42.420Z
翻 has many meanings. 煎魚要翻一翻(turnover); 翻幾翻筋斗(tumble); 翻一翻書本 (flip); 番 doesn't mean 'double', it means 'times'  or 'session' as in "教導一番" or "三番四次"
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-19T13:12:05.300Z
Do you have any resource regarding 翻一翻 is an equivalent of 翻一番? I just searched it but found that it is used like "take a search" as @dan pointed out above - https://wiki.ucl.ac.uk/display/Chinese/Verb+reduplication
Blaszard
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-19T04:04:10.033Z
2017-10-19T12:15:38.363Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Tang Ho
<p>Your intuition is correct:</p>

<p>新招聘信息翻了一番。
New job ads doubled.
结果日产量翻了一番。<br>
As a result output doubled.</p>

<p>与5年前相比翻了一番。
(This percentage) compared with 5 years earlier has doubled.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-18T22:56:59.653Z
2017-10-18T22:56:59.653Z
Pedroski
<p>In the following sentence:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>调查显示，32%的海外民众认为中国是对世界经济影响最大的国家。与5年前相比翻了<strong>一番</strong>。</p>
</blockquote>

<p>一番 might mean "one time" (at least my dictionary on macOS says "一倍" while Pleco only lists "one kind"). However, 翻 I believe means "double" as a verb here.</p>

<p>So I feel that the sentence is contradictionary... At least from the context, the influence of China would be "doubled". But then what is the meaning of 一番 here?</p>

<meaning><adverbs>
What does 一番 mean in 与5年前相比翻了一番?
# What does 一番 mean in 与5年前相比翻了一番?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-10-18)

In the following sentence:

> 调查显示，32%的海外民众认为中国是对世界经济影响最大的国家。与5年前相比翻了**一番**。

一番 might mean "one time" (at least my dictionary on macOS says "一倍" while Pleco only lists "one kind"). However, 翻 I believe means "double" as a verb here.

So I feel that the sentence is contradictionary... At least from the context, the influence of China would be "doubled". But then what is the meaning of 一番 here?

**Tags:** meaning, adverbs


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## 4 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2017-10-19. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

翻（了）n番 is common phrase, meaning 2^n. For example, 翻一番 = 2, 翻两番 = 4， ....

But the interesting phrase is 翻n倍. Some would take 翻n倍 = 翻n番, and some would take 翻n倍 = 1\*n, and some take 翻n倍 = 1\*(n+1). For example, 50翻3倍 could be 150, 400 or 200. This is really a moot point. Personally, I would take 翻n倍 = 1\*(n+1) and 50翻3倍 would be 200.


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### Answer by username_0 on 2017-10-19. Score: 1

I found that Pleco has the entry. The entry is on neither 一番 or 番 but 翻番.

According to the dictionary:

> * increase by a specified number of times

And the example sentences are:

> 翻两番 // quadruple
>
> 十年内学生人数翻了一番。 // The school's enrollment doubled in ten years.


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### Answer by username_2 on 2017-10-19. Score: 0

The correct phrasing should be 与5年前相比翻了一翻. The first 翻 is the verb, the second 翻 is a verb classifier.

More example

斬一斬 (chop one chop = take one chop /chop once)

看一看 (look one look = take one look/ look once)

翻一翻 (flip one flip = take one flip/ flip once = doubling once)

A measure word (e.g. 一, 幾) followed by a 'verb classifier' describe how many times the action verb occurred. If it wrote "翻了幾翻", then it would mean "flipped a few flips" = "doubled the original number a few times"

> [翻倍](http://www.iciba.com/%E7%BF%BB%E5%80%8D)
>
> double up

翻了一翻 actually means "翻(倍)了一翻"

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 翻一翻 means 'take a search'. In 翻一番， 番 means 倍, and 翻 means multiply.  
> **username_2**: 翻 has many meanings. 煎魚要翻一翻(turnover); 翻幾翻筋斗(tumble); 翻一翻書本 (flip); 番 doesn't mean 'double', it means 'times'  or 'session' as in "教導一番" or "三番四次"  
> **username_0**: Do you have any resource regarding 翻一翻 is an equivalent of 翻一番? I just searched it but found that it is used like "take a search" as @username_1 pointed out above - https://wiki.ucl.ac.uk/display/Chinese/Verb+reduplication  

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### Answer by username_3 on 2017-10-18. Score: 0

Your intuition is correct:

新招聘信息翻了一番。
New job ads doubled.
结果日产量翻了一番。  
As a result output doubled.

与5年前相比翻了一番。
(This percentage) compared with 5 years earlier has doubled.


---

