二一

èryī

phrase #34,247

Meanings

1 two-one (numeric reading, e.g. 21, 2-1 score)
2 shortened reference to dates such as February 1st
3 first half of the abacus mnemonic 二一添作五 ('split it down the middle')

Characters

Examples

比赛二一结束。

Bǐsài èr-yī jiéshù.

The match ended two to one.

二一添作五，咱们各拿一半。

Èr yī tiān zuò wǔ, zánmen gè ná yíbàn.

Two-one make five (i.e. split it 50-50) — we each take half.

Tips

culture

Most often surfaces inside the abacus saying 二一添作五 (èryī-tiānzuò-wǔ), originally a division formula (1÷2=0.5) that became idiom for splitting something evenly. As bare 二一 it usually just means a sports score (2-1) or a clipped date.

Stroke Order

二 èr

一 yī