APPROXIMATELY    差不多幾ji1

PROBABLY BUT NOT EXACTLY
APPROXIMATELYALMOSTNEARLY(JUST) ABOUTMORE OR LESSPRACTICALLYVIRTUALLYALL BUTAS GOOD ASCLOSE TONEARNOT QUITEROUGHLYNOT FAR FROMFOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSESAPPROACHINGBORDERING ONVERGING ONINFORMAL PRETTY NEARPRETTY NEARLYPRETTY MUCHPRETTY WELLLITERARY WELL-NIGHNIGH ON
Old Chinese Criteria
1. The current general word for approximation to completeness of action is jī 幾. 2. Dài 殆 (ant. bì 必 "certainly and completely") is very occasionally used to refer to the only approximate completion of an action. 3. Shù jī 庶幾 refers to the approximation to a desirable completing of an action and is always abstract.
Modern Chinese Criteria
幾乎 基本上 將近 幾幾乎 差一點 差點兒 爭點兒 幾 殆 險些 險乎 險 差不多 差不離 不大離 大同小異 J 相去無幾 J 五十步笑百步 rough draft to BEGIN TO identify synonym group members for analysis, based on CL etc. 18.11.2003. CH ／
Hypernym
  • PROBABLE　INTENSELY POSSIBLE AND EXPECTED to be TRUE. (anc: 8/0, child: 1)
  • POSSIBLE　ABLE TO BE DONE OR ABLE TO HAPPEN, OR ABLE TO BE THE CASE.  (anc: 7/0, child: 3)
  • ABLE　HAVE FEATURES one NEEDS in SELF:oneself FOR ACHIEVING something. (anc: 6/0, child: 16)
  • A Dictionary of Selected Synonyms in the Principal Indo-European Languages ( BUCK 1988) p. 12.43

  • Lateinische Synonyme und Etymologien ( DOEDERLEIN 1840) p.

    ALMOST

    paene is a metalinguistic word weakening the force of what one has said, like "almost".

    prope "nearly" indicates proximity to the truth.

    fere "about" indicates relative inaccuracy.

    • Words (8 items)

    幾  jī OC: kɯl MC: kɨi 11 Attributions

    The current general word for approximation to completeness of action is jī 幾.

      Syntactic words
    • vadVnearly, almost
    • vtoNobject=numapproach to the amount of
    庶幾  shù jī OC: qhljaɡs kɯl MC: ɕi̯ɤ kɨi 3 Attributions

    Shù jī 庶幾 refers to the approximation to a desirable completing of an action and is always abstract.

      Syntactic words
    • VPialmost get there, succeed almost completely
    可  kě OC: khlaalʔ MC: khɑ 2 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • vadVapproximately, roughly
    殆  dài OC: lɯɯʔ MC: dəi 1 Attribution

    Dài 殆 (ant. bì 必 "certainly and completely") is very occasionally used to refer to the only approximate completion of an action.

      Syntactic words
    • vadVlate?: nearly, almost
    • vt+prep+Nabbe close to V-ing
    略  lüè MC: ljak OC: ɡ-raɡ 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • vadValmost; nearlyDS
    約  yuē OC: qplewɡ MC: ʔi̯ɐk 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • vadVroughly, approximately
    尚  shàng OC: djaŋs MC: dʑi̯ɐŋ 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • vadValmost; nearly;
    所  suǒ OC: sqraʔ MC: ʂi̯ɤ 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • npro.post-Njust about, roughly Hanshu: 父去里所 "after the father had left for about one li's distance"