Language/Mandarin-chinese/Vocabulary/Numbers

Welcome to this Mandarin Chinese lesson for beginners and intermediate levels.

Today you will learn how to count and pronounce numbers in Chinese.

Count with your hands in Mandarin Chinese

To start this lesson, let's learn how to count using our hands.

Look at the picture below:

Now, let's learn all the rules to learn how to count in Chinese.

Pronounce numbers from 0 to 10 in Mandarin Chinese

Watch this video to learn how to pronounce numbers from 0 to 10.

Pay attention to the pronunciation of tones. Its very important.

Write numbers from 0 to 10 in Mandarin Chinese

It is quite easy to count from 0 to 10 in Chinese, apart from the writing of zero: 零 líng.

Zero can also be written 〇 which is simpler but less traditional.

In Chinese, we often use Arabic numerals. However, you also have to know the Chinese figures that are commonly used.

Numbers	Chinese	Pinyin
0	零 / 〇	líng
1	一	yī / yí / yì / yāo
2	二 / 两	èr / liǎng
3	三	sān
4	四	sì
5	五	wǔ
6	六	liù
7	七	qī
8	八	bā
9	九	jiǔ
10	十	shí

Write numbers after 10 in Mandarin Chinese

After 10, the result is quite logical:

• 11 十一

• 12 十二

• 13 十三

...

• 19 十九

Then:

• 20 二十

• 21 二十一

• 22 二十二

etc.

It is very easy and there is nothing special except that we should not add a "one" from 10 to 19: Do not write: "一 十, 一 十一", etc.

Write the date in Mandarin Chinese

The date is built from the most general to the most precise:

Year + month + day of the month + day of the week

Years in Mandarin Chinese

The year is constructed by listing the numbers in front of the word "year" 年 nián:

Thus, 2012 is written 二零一二年 è èr líng yí èr nián.

So we say "year two, zero, one, two." We must not say two thousand, etc.

Months in Mandarin Chinese

The months are constructed by putting the number or the number (10, 11, 12) before the word "month" 月 yuè:

• January: 一月 yí yuè (note the change of tone of yī, see phonetics)
• February: 二月 èr yuè
• March: 三月 sān yuè

...

• October: 十月 shí yuè
• November: 十一月 shí yí yuè
• December: 十二月 shí èr yuè

Only the year is built by listing the numbers.

April 1998 is therefore: 一 九九 八年 四月.

Days in Mandarin Chinese

The day of the month is constructed by putting the number or number in front of the word "day" 日 rì.

Attention the word 天 tiān, "day" indicates the duration (in an expression like "three days of holidays" for example).

• The first day of the month will be said: 一日 yí rì,
• The second 二 日 èr rì,
• The thirtieth 三十 日 sān shí rì,
• The thirty-first 三十 一日 sān shí yí rì, etc.

December 21, 2012 is written: 二零 一 二年 十二月 二十 一日.

Weeks in Mandarin Chinese

In Chinese, the word week is called 星期 xīngqī (literally "period of stars"). The day of the week is built by adding the number AFTER the word week 星期:

• Monday 星期一 xīngqī yī
• Tuesday 星期二 xīngqī èr
• Wednesday 星期三 xīngqī sān
• Thursday 星期四 xīngqī sì
• Friday 星期五 xīngqī wǔ
• Saturday 星期六 xīngqī liù

The word "Sunday" is special and is either 星期天 xīngqī tiān (day of the sky) or 星期日 xīngqī rì (day of the sun).

And yes, the week is not Chinese tradition but Judeo-Christian.

Chinese calendar

The Chinese calendar is a lunar calendar.

It is still very much used for traditional celebrations and birthdays.

For work and administration, the so-called "solar calendar" is used.

Ask for a date in Mandarin Chinese

To ask for the date, two questions are possible:

• 今天 的 日期 是 什么? Jīntiān de rìqī shì shénme?

or

• 今天 几 月 几 日? Jīntiān jǐ yuè jǐ rì? (for the short form)
• 今天 几年 几 月 几 日 星期 星期 几? Jīntiān jǐ nián jǐ yuè jǐ rì xīngqī jǐ? (for the long form)

To ask for the anniversary date we will say:

• 你的生日是几月几日？ Nǐ de shēngrì shì jǐ yuè jǐ rì ?

And the answer:

• 我的生日是三月二十一日。 Wǒ de shēngrì shì sān yuè èrshíyí rì.

My birthday is on March 21st.

大 dà

The adjectival verb 大 dà can be translated as "to be big" in the sense of size and age.

• 中国 很大

China is big.

• 大人

The adults.

Be careful: "to be old" is called 老 lǎo.

多 duō

In Chinese, the word "to be many" 多 duō can also be translated as "how many?" when he is in front of an adjectival verb:

• 中国 人 很多.

There are many Chinese people.

• 你 多大?

How old are you?

This use of the verb 多 makes it possible to make questions that are difficult to translate, but which do exist in Chinese:

• 她 多 美?

How much is she pretty?

• 他 多 好?

How much is he nice?

etc.

The answer to the question:

• 你 多大?

How old are you?

Is built without verb:

Subject + number + 岁.

Example:

• 我 十七 岁. Wǒ shíqī suì.

I am 17 years old

岁 suì is used only for years of age.

When we talk to a child, we can also say :

• 你 几岁? Nǐ jǐ suì?

How old are you?

In reality, the interrogative word "how much?" 几 jǐ is used when the response is estimated to be less than 10 (approximately).

For an answer greater than ten, there is another interrogative word that is constructed with 多 duō.

Sources

http://www.chine-culture.com/chinois/cours-de-chinois-5-grammaire.php

https://chine.in/mandarin/methode/index.php?lecon=6