🌟 Numbers and Time in Chinese: Your Magic Key to Unlock the Calendar!
Imagine you just found a treasure map written in Chinese. To find the treasure, you need to know numbers, tell time, and read dates. Today, we’re going on an adventure to learn exactly that! By the end, you’ll be able to count like a Chinese kid, tell time, and even read the calendar. Ready? Let’s go! 🚀
🔢 The Chinese Number System: Building Blocks of Everything
Think of Chinese numbers like building blocks. Once you know the first ten blocks, you can build ANY number!
The First 10 Numbers (Your Foundation)
| Number | Chinese | Pinyin | How to Remember |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 零 | líng | Looks like a ring = zero |
| 1 | 一 | yī | One horizontal line |
| 2 | 二 | èr | Two lines stacked |
| 3 | 三 | sān | Three lines stacked |
| 4 | 四 | sì | Like a window with 4 panes |
| 5 | 五 | wǔ | Five lines crossing |
| 6 | 六 | liù | A roof with dots |
| 7 | 七 | qī | Looks like 7 upside down |
| 8 | 八 | bā | Two legs = lucky 8 |
| 9 | 九 | jiǔ | A hook catching 9 fish |
| 10 | 十 | shí | A cross = 10 points |
Building Bigger Numbers
Here’s the magic part! Chinese numbers follow a simple pattern:
11 = 10 + 1 → 十一 (shí yī) 12 = 10 + 2 → 十二 (shí èr) 20 = 2 × 10 → 二十 (èr shí) 25 = 2 × 10 + 5 → 二十五 (èr shí wǔ) 99 = 9 × 10 + 9 → 九十九 (jiǔ shí jiǔ)
💡 Pro Tip: Chinese math is logical! You literally say “two-ten-five” for 25. No confusing “twenty-five”!
Larger Numbers
| Number | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 百 | bǎi |
| 1,000 | 千 | qiān |
| 10,000 | 万 | wàn |
Example: 2,345 = 二千三百四十五 (èr qiān sān bǎi sì shí wǔ)
🏆 Ordinal Numbers: First, Second, Third…
Want to say “first place” or “third floor”? Just add 第 (dì) before any number!
| Ordinal | Chinese | Pinyin | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 第一 | dì yī | 第一名 (1st place) |
| 2nd | 第二 | dì èr | 第二层 (2nd floor) |
| 3rd | 第三 | dì sān | 第三次 (3rd time) |
| 4th | 第四 | dì sì | 第四天 (4th day) |
| 5th | 第五 | dì wǔ | 第五课 (5th lesson) |
🎯 Real Example: “I won first place!” = 我得了第一名！(Wǒ dé le dì yī míng!)
📱 Phone and Address Numbers: Digit by Digit
When saying phone numbers or addresses, Chinese people say each digit separately. Just like English!
Phone Number Example
📞 138-2567-9041
Say it as: 一三八 二五六七 九零四一 (yī sān bā, èr wǔ liù qī, jiǔ líng sì yī)
Special Rule: 1 becomes “yāo” (幺)
To avoid confusion between 一 (yī) and 七 (qī), phone numbers use 幺 (yāo) for 1.
📞 138 becomes: 幺三八 (yāo sān bā)
Address Numbers
🏠 Room 502, Building 3
= 三号楼五零二室 (sān hào lóu wǔ líng èr shì)
⏰ Telling Time: The Clock Adventure
Think of a clock as a pizza. In Chinese, we slice it using 点 (diǎn) for hours and 分 (fēn) for minutes!
Hours
| Time | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| 1:00 | 一点 | yī diǎn |
| 2:00 | 两点 | liǎng diǎn |
| 3:00 | 三点 | sān diǎn |
| 12:00 | 十二点 | shí èr diǎn |
⚠️ Important: For “2 o’clock,” we say 两点 (liǎng diǎn), not 二点!
Hours + Minutes
| Time | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| 3:15 | 三点十五分 | sān diǎn shí wǔ fēn |
| 5:30 | 五点三十分 | wǔ diǎn sān shí fēn |
| 8:45 | 八点四十五分 | bā diǎn sì shí wǔ fēn |
Shortcut: Half Hour = 半 (bàn)
5:30 = 五点半 (wǔ diǎn bàn) - Much easier!
Time of Day Words
| Period | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | 早上 | zǎo shang |
| Noon | 中午 | zhōng wǔ |
| Afternoon | 下午 | xià wǔ |
| Evening | 晚上 | wǎn shang |
Example: 8:30 AM = 早上八点半 (zǎo shang bā diǎn bàn)
📅 Days of the Week: The Star System
Imagine the week as a star with 7 points. Each point is a day!
The Magic Formula
星期 (xīng qī) = “Star Period” + Number
| Day | Chinese | Pinyin | Think of it as… |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 星期一 | xīng qī yī | Star Day 1 |
| Tuesday | 星期二 | xīng qī èr | Star Day 2 |
| Wednesday | 星期三 | xīng qī sān | Star Day 3 |
| Thursday | 星期四 | xīng qī sì | Star Day 4 |
| Friday | 星期五 | xīng qī wǔ | Star Day 5 |
| Saturday | 星期六 | xīng qī liù | Star Day 6 |
| Sunday | 星期日/天 | xīng qī rì/tiān | Star Day Sun |
💡 Note: Sunday uses 日 (sun) or 天 (sky) instead of 7. Makes sense—it’s the special rest day!
Useful Phrases
- Today = 今天 (jīn tiān)
- Tomorrow = 明天 (míng tiān)
- Yesterday = 昨天 (zuó tiān)
- This week = 这个星期 (zhè ge xīng qī)
📆 Months of the Year: The Number Moon
Chinese months are super logical! 月 (yuè) means “moon” or “month.”
All 12 Months
| Month | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| January | 一月 | yī yuè |
| February | 二月 | èr yuè |
| March | 三月 | sān yuè |
| April | 四月 | sì yuè |
| May | 五月 | wǔ yuè |
| June | 六月 | liù yuè |
| July | 七月 | qī yuè |
| August | 八月 | bā yuè |
| September | 九月 | jiǔ yuè |
| October | 十月 | shí yuè |
| November | 十一月 | shí yī yuè |
| December | 十二月 | shí èr yuè |
🎉 Fun Fact: You already know all the months! Just add the number before 月!
📅 Dates and Calendar: Year-Month-Day
Chinese dates go BIG to SMALL: Year → Month → Day
The Format
2024年12月25日 = December 25, 2024 (èr líng èr sì nián shí èr yuè èr shí wǔ rì)
Date Words
| Word | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 年 | nián |
| Month | 月 | yuè |
| Day (formal) | 日 | rì |
| Day (casual) | 号 | hào |
Examples
- Your birthday: 1月15日 (yī yuè shí wǔ rì) = January 15th
- New Year: 1月1日 (yī yuè yī rì) = January 1st
- Today’s date: 今天是12月26日 (Jīn tiān shì shí èr yuè èr shí liù rì)
💡 Tip: In casual speech, use 号 (hào) instead of 日 (rì): 12月25号
🌸 Seasons: Nature’s Four Chapters
The four seasons are like four chapters in nature’s story!
All Four Seasons
| Season | Chinese | Pinyin | Key Words |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 春天 | chūn tiān | Flowers bloom 🌸 |
| Summer | 夏天 | xià tiān | Hot & sunny ☀️ |
| Autumn/Fall | 秋天 | qiū tiān | Leaves fall 🍂 |
| Winter | 冬天 | dōng tiān | Snow & cold ❄️ |
When Are the Seasons?
| Season | Months |
|---|---|
| 春天 Spring | 3月, 4月, 5月 |
| 夏天 Summer | 6月, 7月, 8月 |
| 秋天 Autumn | 9月, 10月, 11月 |
| 冬天 Winter | 12月, 1月, 2月 |
Season Sentences
- I love spring! = 我爱春天！(Wǒ ài chūn tiān!)
- Summer is hot. = 夏天很热。(Xià tiān hěn rè.)
- Autumn is beautiful. = 秋天很美。(Qiū tiān hěn měi.)
- Winter is cold. = 冬天很冷。(Dōng tiān hěn lěng.)
🎯 Quick Reference Flow
graph TD A["Numbers 0-10"] --> B["Build 11-99"] B --> C["Ordinals: 第 + Number"] A --> D["Phone Numbers: Say Each Digit"] A --> E["Time: 点 + 分"] A --> F["Days: 星期 + Number"] A --> G["Months: Number + 月"] G --> H["Dates: 年月日"] H --> I["Seasons: 春夏秋冬"]
🏆 You Did It!
You now know:
- ✅ Numbers 0-99 and beyond
- ✅ How to say “first, second, third…”
- ✅ How to give your phone number
- ✅ How to tell time
- ✅ All 7 days of the week
- ✅ All 12 months
- ✅ How to read and say dates
- ✅ The four seasons
You’re ready to unlock that treasure map! 🗺️
Remember: Chinese numbers are logical. Once you know the pattern, everything else becomes easy. Keep practicing, and soon you’ll be counting, telling time, and reading dates like a native speaker!
🌟 Final Wisdom: In Chinese culture, numbers have meaning. 8 (八) sounds like “prosperity” and is lucky. 4 (四) sounds like “death” and is avoided. Now you know a cultural secret too!