How to Multiply Like Chinese, the easy way! (Fast and Fun)

Picture of How to Multiply Like Chinese, the easy way! (Fast and Fun)






thanks, now we can go on!
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Step 1: Example

Picture of Example

Step 2: First lesson: 22x22

Here we see just four crossed lines that probably wont mean much to you, but thats the harder thing, the lines! (It looks kinda easy hah)

Heres how its done:

First: write down your multiplication.

Second: draw the lines according to the numbers in the multiplication. (see 2nd picture for explanation)

Third: Divide the lines in sectors and sum the points in each sector, then sum each sector's numbers to get the answer. (see 3rd picture for explanatin)
Gomi Romi2 years ago


1. Each line stands for the numbers in the problem.
2. Starting from the left the first number is 5. Now draw FIVE LINES from 2 o'clock to 8 o'clock
3. The next number is 3 - so draw THREE LINES after leaving a space in the same direction
4. the next part of the equation is 2 4 1. Draw TWO lines + gap + FOUR lines + gap + ONE line standing for each number at right angles in the other direction. (11 o'clock to 5 o'clock)

(Making sure to begin from the left bottom corner - seems to be a left to right method)

5. The totals 10, 26, 17, 3 are figured out by placing a DOT at each intersecting line of the grid you've just drawn.

Group each group of dots by the corners of the grid. ie north east west south (NB Emihack has drawn an orange line grouping each intersection.)

Now add up those dots for each corner group. (That's where 10, 26, 17 and 3 comes from)

Next add up 10, 26, 17 and 3 keeping them in their columns of 1000's, 100's, 10's and 1's - just like abacus.

InsideABox3 years ago





Hope this helps in understanding how this works.
ths3 years ago
paperrhino ths3 years ago
Emiliano Valencia (author)  paperrhino3 years ago
Emiliano Valencia (author)  ths3 years ago
jjimenez191 year ago
Brames1 year ago
Hi Everyone,
vixenmane3 years ago
tommiesmee3 years ago
Er, no. emihackr's punctuation should be a comma as it is a "thousands separator": unless you're proposing that 53 x 124 = 12.773 (i.e. just over a dozen). In any case emihackr wrote 53 x 241 in Step 3, not 53 x 124; this only equals 6,572.

Your comment has the same tone as someone saying: "Really (sic), tommiesmee? Do you think that no capitals, misspellings, and lower-case first-person-pronouns equals proper English?" Compare it with something like this:
Great Instructable, but your punctuation mark should be a dot. Right now I was like, "Really? Do you think 53 X 124 equals 12,773?". I'm going to vote for you anyway ... if I find out how :).
Or better still:

Instructable's Authoring Tips recommends: "Check all copy for proper language, spelling, grammar, and capitalization where needed." (Which, if I may be constructive, emihackr, you need to do with your Instructable...)
Emiliano Valencia (author)  tommiesmee3 years ago
sorry and thanks
Emiliano Valencia (author)  tommiesmee3 years ago
there will be a period of time when you can vote
atlitw91 year ago
wow, ItÂ´s a funny way to make kids like maths!!
shannonlove3 years ago
I disagree. We don't teach the abacus because Americans dislike learning from other cultures. "It would be beneath us to use something from China to teach our children."









amarchante2 years ago
drumdude2 years ago
When I saw the picture "multiply like the chinese" I thought you ment like having babies. lol
Emiliano Valencia (author)  drumdude2 years ago
hahahahaha Lol. no, it's ancient chinese multiplication method.
craftyv3 years ago
I dont get it. The explanaition is not clear enough.
Foaly73 years ago
Does it matter how many sectors you use?
Emiliano Valencia (author)  Foaly73 years ago
toonth (2nth)
(step 2 pic 3)
error323 years ago
Emiliano Valencia (author)  error323 years ago
luvit3 years ago
i multiply like chinese rabbits... i'll post pics if it helps.
simpson4683 years ago
i can belive its so easy!
mae0606693 years ago
They teach this locally in our schools and while it's great when you're learning your tables I'd have to agree with karossii, it's important to be able to simple multiplication in your head.
red.black3 years ago
causeeffect3 years ago
wow how come I never learned this in school??!
soapdude3 years ago
Genius.... You have my vote...
Flea3 years ago
Did you learn English from the Chinese??? Seriously. You have many grammatical and spelling errors that it hurts my head. "These is a technique", "multiplicatn", "show you how easy can these be done". I understand that English may not be your first language (it's not my first language), but Instructables has a spellcheck option. Please use it.
tmlpz3 years ago
well, that's cool. btw, did you know 523*134=70082?
karossii3 years ago
While I am neither Chinese nor Indian, and so have little stake in the correctness, I am fairly certain this is an ancient Hindu (Indian) form of math, known as Vedic mathematics, taken from the Vedas, a sacred text of the Hindu. I learned this ages ago, myself, and while it is a 'neat trick', I find it is nowhere near as easy or simple to translate this into doing math in your head, without paper and pencil (or some form of writing surface), and since I prefer to do math in my head... well I never got too into it.

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