以上 / 以下 (and above / and below)
IntroducedOne more visitor, or two?
- A fictional room notice says thirty三十person人and below以下，to comprise包括thirty三十person人。 — thirty people or fewer, including thirty. There are twenty-nine people inside.
- One more person reaches the limit. Two more make thirty-one: beyond this notice’s allowed range.
A sign gives a capacity limit of thirty, including thirty. What does 三十人以下，包括三十人。 communicate?
The explicitly stated allowed range includes thirty and smaller numbers. 以上 and 以下 commonly include the boundary, but a real notice may define it explicitly. Do not confuse 三十人以下 with 不到三十人, which excludes thirty.
Put the unit before the range word
- Use number + unit + and above以上 / and below以下: eighteen十八years岁and above以上 — eighteen years old and above; thirty三十person人and below以下 — thirty people and below.
- In the age example, only then can / only if can (context)才能 makes the age a required condition. It does not tell us whether every other entry condition is satisfied.
eighteen十八years岁and above以上only then才can能watch看。
Using the lesson pattern in this demonstrated example: 18 and over may watch: 十八岁 ____ 才能看。
Number + 以上 = and above: 十八岁以上.
Separate an included limit from a strict one
- Our notice explicitly includes thirty. less than / under (this range)不到thirty三十person人 — fewer than thirty people — excludes thirty; more than / exceeds超过thirty三十person人 — more than thirty — also excludes thirty.
- For whole people, the largest count below thirty is twenty-nine. Read a notice’s explicit definition before deciding whether its endpoint is included.
A notice explicitly says 三十人以下，包括三十人. Which range is allowed?
The notice includes thirty explicitly. 不到三十人 instead excludes thirty.
The notice includes a maximum of thirty people. Twenty-nine are inside. What is the largest number of additional people allowed?
Thirty minus twenty-nine is one. Two additional people would make thirty-one.
Keep the number and unit together
- eighteen十八years岁and above以上，to comprise包括eighteen十八years岁 includes age eighteen in this fictional clip rule. It does not mean eighteen people, or under eighteen.
- 三十元and below以下，to comprise包括三十元 sets a money limit. The same number with person人 sets a headcount limit: units change what is counted.
以上 / 以下 attach after the number or level.
Yes — 十八岁以上, 三十人以下.
The original notice includes thirty people. With twenty-nine inside, two more people stay within the limit.
Twenty-nine plus two is thirty-one, beyond thirty.
A different sign says 不到三十人. What is the largest whole-person count below thirty?
不到 excludes thirty. With whole people, the next smaller count is twenty-nine.
Recalculate when the notice changes
- A new notice says 二十五person人and below以下，to comprise包括二十五person人. With twenty-four people inside, one more fits; two more do not.
- The old thirty-person answer cannot be reused. Identify the new limit, whether it is included, and the current count.
A new notice includes a maximum of twenty-five people. Twenty-four are inside. Can two more enter under this limit?
Twenty-four plus two is twenty-six, beyond twenty-five. Only one more reaches the included endpoint.
Make a decision from the full notice
- For the original inclusive thirty-person notice, compare the final count with thirty: twenty-nine plus one is allowed; twenty-nine plus two is not.
- and above以上 / and below以下 give a range. They do not establish whether a room is open, a ticket is available, or another condition is met.
Read the full reference: HSK 5 grammar.
Recall the situation: One more visitor, or two?. Decide what the speaker wanted to communicate. Close the examples. Say a Mandarin response, then write it in Chinese. Explain briefly in English what the lesson’s pattern adds. Compare with the model, then change one detail and try again.
This is supported productive practice. Compare meaning and structure; your answer need not copy the model. A partner or teacher must hear the spoken response to comment on pronunciation.