<p>You can see population (人口) as a 数字/数目 or a 数量</p>
<p>1000 is a 数字; 1000人 is a 数量</p>
<p>北京的人口(数量)是二千万人 (二千万人这个数量<strong>多于</strong>一千万人那个数量)</p>
<p>北京的人口(数目)是二千万 (二千万这个数目<strong>大于</strong>一千万那个数目)</p>
<p>人口数字<strong>高</strong>達二千萬 (population reaches the number of 20,000,000)</p>
<p>人口数量<strong>多</strong>達二千萬人 (population up to 20,000,000 people)</p>
<ul>
<li><p>the classifier 人 can be omitted in 人口数量 because it is strongly implied</p>
</li>
<li><p>the classifier 人 is not grammatical to use in 人口數目 because we don't count 数字/数目 as <strong>how many</strong> but <strong>now big</strong></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>My conclusion:</p>
<p>北京人口多于苏州 compare the number of people in those two places</p>
<p>北京的人口数目大于苏州的人口数目 compare the exact number of those two populations</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-14T10:09:12.553Z
2023-01-14T10:20:08.420Z
2023-01-14T10:20:08.420Z
Tang Ho
<p>北京有<strong>多少</strong>人口?</p>
<p>两千万.</p>
<p>苏州有<strong>多少</strong>人口?</p>
<p>一千万.</p>
<p>那個地方人口<strong>多</strong>? 多多少?</p>
<p>北京人口<strong>多於</strong>苏州, <strong>多</strong>一千万<strong>人</strong>. (一千万人 is a quantity, not a pure number.)</p>
<p>那個地方人口<strong>總數</strong>較<strong>大</strong>? 為什麼?</p>
<p>北京人口總數<strong>大於</strong>苏州. 因為两千万<strong>大於</strong>一千万.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-16T16:49:54.047Z
2023-01-16T17:10:07.407Z
2023-01-16T17:10:07.407Z
r13
<p>I was just in my iTalki class, and it seems I've been making an error for years whereby I refer to 人口 as 大/小 instead of 多/少 (which came up in <a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/q/38749/8099">this question</a>, so it's seems I'm not the only one making this error).  I think my error arose because I think of 人口 as a number, so I might think of something like the following (the numbers are approximate for simplicity):</p>
<blockquote>
<p>北京的人口是两千万。 苏州的人口是一千万。因为两千万大于一千万，所以北京的人口<strong>大于</strong>苏州的人口。  [✗]<br />
Beijing's population is 20 million.  Suzhou's population is 10 million.  20 million is more than 10 million, so Beijing's population is greater than Suzhou's population.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Okay, I now know to use 多/少 to compare 人口, so the second 大于 above should be 多于.  But I feel like people say things like 北京的人口是两千万 with or without adding a 人 (or 个人), e.g.:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>北京的人口是21893095人  [<a href="https://new.qq.com/rain/a/20211120A00DT600" rel="nofollow noreferrer">source</a>]<br />
北京的人口是1633万  [<a href="https://www.chinanews.com.cn/gn/news/2008/01-21/1139987.shtml" rel="nofollow noreferrer">source</a>]</p>
</blockquote>
<p>And if 人口 is a number, then numbers are compared with 大/小 and not 多/少.  Maybe there's sometimes a phantom 人 in these examples: it functions as if it's there, but it's omitted.</p>
<p><strong>Question</strong>: Can 人口 be interpreted as a number?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-01-25T14:42:30.403Z
It seems to me that 人口 is a quantity with a(n omitted) unit, 人. Compare 北京的人口是两千万人 with "the temperature of boiling water is 100 degrees Celsius." And we speak of a higher temperature, not a bigger temperature.
LAMC
<grammar><usage>
Can 人口 be interpreted as a number?
# Can 人口 be interpreted as a number?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-01-14)

I was just in my iTalki class, and it seems I've been making an error for years whereby I refer to 人口 as 大/小 instead of 多/少 (which came up in [this question](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/q/38749/8099), so it's seems I'm not the only one making this error). I think my error arose because I think of 人口 as a number, so I might think of something like the following (the numbers are approximate for simplicity):

> 北京的人口是两千万。 苏州的人口是一千万。因为两千万大于一千万，所以北京的人口**大于**苏州的人口。 [✗]  
> Beijing's population is 20 million. Suzhou's population is 10 million. 20 million is more than 10 million, so Beijing's population is greater than Suzhou's population.

Okay, I now know to use 多/少 to compare 人口, so the second 大于 above should be 多于. But I feel like people say things like 北京的人口是两千万 with or without adding a 人 (or 个人), e.g.:

> 北京的人口是21893095人 [[source](https://new.qq.com/rain/a/20211120A00DT600)]  
> 北京的人口是1633万 [[source](https://www.chinanews.com.cn/gn/news/2008/01-21/1139987.shtml)]

And if 人口 is a number, then numbers are compared with 大/小 and not 多/少. Maybe there's sometimes a phantom 人 in these examples: it functions as if it's there, but it's omitted.

**Question**: Can 人口 be interpreted as a number?

**Tags:** grammar, usage

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: It seems to me that 人口 is a quantity with a(n omitted) unit, 人. Compare 北京的人口是两千万人 with "the temperature of boiling water is 100 degrees Celsius." And we speak of a higher temperature, not a bigger temperature.  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2023-01-14. Score: 3

You can see population (人口) as a 数字/数目 or a 数量

1000 is a 数字; 1000人 is a 数量

北京的人口(数量)是二千万人 (二千万人这个数量**多于**一千万人那个数量)

北京的人口(数目)是二千万 (二千万这个数目**大于**一千万那个数目)

人口数字**高**達二千萬 (population reaches the number of 20,000,000)

人口数量**多**達二千萬人 (population up to 20,000,000 people)

* the classifier 人 can be omitted in 人口数量 because it is strongly implied
* the classifier 人 is not grammatical to use in 人口數目 because we don't count 数字/数目 as **how many** but **now big**

My conclusion:

北京人口多于苏州 compare the number of people in those two places

北京的人口数目大于苏州的人口数目 compare the exact number of those two populations


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### Answer by username_3 on 2023-01-16. Score: 1

北京有**多少**人口?

两千万.

苏州有**多少**人口?

一千万.

那個地方人口**多**? 多多少?

北京人口**多於**苏州, **多**一千万**人**. (一千万人 is a quantity, not a pure number.)

那個地方人口**總數**較**大**? 為什麼?

北京人口總數**大於**苏州. 因為两千万**大於**一千万.


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