多
duō
Why "many" in Chinese also means "do more of it"
The picture The same thing landing on the pile one more time, and again, until it heaps up. 多 lands one more on the pile; 少 takes one off it.
Where the picture shows up in 多
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heads pile up
今天店里客人很多。
jīn tiān diàn lǐ kè rén hěn duō.
The shop is full of customers today.
Heads packed wall to wall inside a shop with no gap between them
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stacking more of an action
医生说要多喝水,多休息。
yī shēng shuō yào duō hē shuǐ, duō xiū xi.
The doctor said to drink more water and rest more.
An emptied glass, then another, then another, lining up on the table
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asking how high the pile is
请问,这个多少钱?
qǐng wèn, zhè ge duō shao qián?
Excuse me, how much is this?
Holding an item up and asking how many layers of coins it stands for
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a little stacked on top
我在门口等了一个多小时。
wǒ zài mén kǒu děng le yí ge duō xiǎo shí.
I waited at the door for over an hour.
A clock hand past the full circle, nudged a bit further along
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one pile beating another
这里的工资比那边多一点。
zhè lǐ de gōng zī bǐ nà biān duō yì diǎn.
The pay here is a bit more than over there.
Two stacks of coins side by side, one standing a layer higher
All of it in one picture
多 is one more unit landing on a pile. Land people on it and the shop is crowded; land actions on it and you drink more and rest more; ask how high the pile goes and you're asking the price; land a little on top of one hour and it's an hour and then some; land more than the other pile holds and it's the better wage.