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星期 (xīngqī) means "week" in Chinese. This is also used to indicate which weekday you are talking about.
Structure
Days of the week in Chinese are formed by the word "week" followed by a number:
| English | Chinese |
|---|---|
| Monday | 星期一Xīngqīyī |
| Tuesday | 星期二Xīngqī'èr |
| Wednesday | 星期三Xīngqīsān |
| Thursday | 星期四Xīngqīsì |
| Friday | 星期五Xīngqīwǔ |
| Saturday | 星期六Xīngqīliù |
| Sunday | 星期天Xīngqītiān |
One other implication of this system that you may not have noticed: "day one" is Monday. In Chinese culture, the first day of the week is Monday, and not Sunday.
Examples
- 今天 是 星期一 吗？是 is optionalJīntiān shì Xīngqīyī ma?Is today Monday?
- 明天 星期五，太 高兴 了。Optional 是 omittedMíngtiān Xīngqīwǔ, tài gāoxìng le.Tomorrow is Friday. I'm so happy.
- 星期三 我 不在 上海。Xīngqīsān wǒ bù zài Shànghǎi.I'm not here in Shanghai on Wednesday.
- 星期二 早上 我 很 忙。Xīngqī'èr zǎoshang wǒ hěn máng.I am busy on Tuesday morning.
- 你 星期天 要 做 什么？Nǐ Xīngqītiān yào zuò shénme?What are you doing on Sunday?
- 上 个 星期五 我 跟 他 见面 了。Shàng gè Xīngqīwǔ wǒ gēn tā jiànmiàn le.I met him last Friday.
- 这 个 星期三 晚上 你 有空 吗？Zhège Xīngqīsān wǎnshang nǐ yǒu kòng ma?Are you free this Wednesday evening?
- 下 个 星期四 是 我 的 生日。Xià gè Xīngqīsì shì wǒ de shēngrì.My birthday is on next Thursday.
- 这个 星期五 晚上 我们 要 去 酒吧。Zhège Xīngqīwǔ wǎnshang wǒmen yào qù jiǔbā.We're going to a bar this Friday night.
- 星期六 和 星期天 我们 不 上班。 Xīngqīliù hé Xīngqītiān wǒmen bù shàngbān.Saturday and Sunday we don't work.
Other Words for "Week"
Hopefully this doesn't freak you out, but there are actually two other ways to say "week" in Chinese. You should still learn 星期 (xīngqī) first, and that's really all you need as a beginner.
The other words for "week" are 礼拜 (lǐbài) and 周 (zhōu). Skip them for now unless you really need them.
See Also
Sources and further reading
Books
- New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1) (p. 123) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed) (p. 142) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (p. 72) →buy
Category:A1 grammar points Category:Table