Welcome to Master Numbers, Quantity, Time and Date
Numbers and time expressions are the building blocks of communication in Mandarin Chinese. Whether you are ordering food, checking bus times, talking about your birthday, or bargaining at a market, these patterns appear everywhere in your AQA GCSE Chinese (8673) exam. Don't worry if Mandarin numbers and word orders seem totally different from English at first—once you learn a few simple rules, the system is remarkably logical and regular!
---1. Counting from Hundreds to 1 Million
In Chinese, large numbers build up like building blocks. Unlike English, which groups large numbers by thousands (thousands, millions, billions), Chinese introduces a brand-new base unit at 10,000 called 万 (wàn).
Key Scale Units to Memorise
百 (bǎi) = Hundred (\(100\))
千 (qiān) = Thousand (\(1,000\))
万 (wàn) = Ten Thousand (\(10,000\))
十万 (shíwàn) = Hundred Thousand (\(100,000\))
百万 (bǎiwàn) = One Million (\(1,000,000\))
Building Big Numbers
• \(300\) = 三百 (sān bǎi)
• \(4,000\) = 四千 (sì qiān)
• \(50,000\) = 五万 (wǔ wàn) (literally "5 ten-thousands")
• \(200,000\) = 二十万 (èrshí wàn) (literally "20 ten-thousands")
• \(1,000,000\) = 一百万 (yì bǎi wàn) (literally "100 ten-thousands")
The Crucial "Zero" Rule: 零 (líng)
When there is an empty place value inside a number (a "skipped" column), you must say 零 (líng) to show the gap.
• \(101\) is 一百零一 (yì bǎi líng yī) (not 一百一, which sounds like \(110\)).
• \(1,005\) is 一千零五 (yì qiān líng wǔ).
• Even if there are multiple consecutive zeros in the middle, you only say 零 once: \(10,005\) is 一万零五 (yí wàn líng wǔ).
Key Takeaway: Large numbers rely on 万 (wàn - 10,000) as the main milestone, and any skipped place value in the middle requires a single 零 (líng).
---2. The Battle of the Twos: 二 (èr) vs 两 (liǎng) and Ordinals with 第
When to Use 二 (èr) vs 两 (liǎng)
English only has one word for "two", but Mandarin has two distinct words depending on how you use it:
1. 二 (èr) is used for counting, digits, maths, and telephone numbers.
Examples: 一, 二, 三 (1, 2, 3); 二十 (20); 二月 (February).
2. 两 (liǎng) is used for quantities when a measure word follows (meaning "two of something").
Standard Quantity Structure: Number + Measure Word + Noun
Examples: 两个人 (liǎng ge rén) = two people; 两本书 (liǎng běn shū) = two books.
Ordinals: Ranking with 第 (dì)
To turn any cardinal number into an ordinal number (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.), simply add the prefix 第 (dì) in front of the number:
• 第一 (dì-yī) = First / 1st
• 第二 (dì-èr) = Second / 2nd (Note: Use 二 here, never 两!)
• 第三 (dì-sān) = Third / 3rd
• 第十 (dì-shí) = Tenth / 10th
Key Takeaway: Use 两 (liǎng) before measure words to count items. Use 第 (dì) + number to show rank or position.
---3. Dates and Time of Day: The "Big-to-Small" Principle
In Chinese culture and grammar, time is viewed like a zooming camera lens: you start with the biggest unit (the universe or year) and zoom in step-by-step to the smallest detail (the minute or second).
Expressing Dates
Pattern: Year (年) + Month (月) + Day (日 / 号) + Day of the Week (星期 / 礼拜)
• Years: Read as individual digits followed by 年 (nián).
Example: 2024 is read as 二零二四年 (èr líng èr sì nián). Do not say "two thousand twenty-four"!
• Months: Number (\(1\) to \(12\)) + 月 (yuè).
Example: 五月 (wǔ yuè) = May; 十二月 (shí'èr yuè) = December.
• Days: Number (\(1\) to \(31\)) + 号 (hào) (spoken) or 日 (rì) (written/formal).
• Days of the week: 星期 (xīngqī) or 礼拜 (lǐbài) + Number (\(1\) to \(6\)), with 日 (rì) or 天 (tiān) for Sunday.
Example: 星期一 (xīngqī yī) = Monday; 星期日 / 星期天 (xīngqī rì / xīngqī tiān) = Sunday.
Full Date Example:
Wednesday, 18 October 2023 becomes:
2023年10月18日 星期三 (èr líng èr sān nián shí yuè shí bā rì, xīngqī sān)
Telling the Time (Clock Time)
Pattern: Part of Day + Hour (点 diǎn) + Minute (分 fēn)
• 点 (diǎn) = o'clock / hour
• 分 (fēn) = minute
• 半 (bàn) = half past (\(30\text{ minutes}\))
• 一刻 (yí kè) = quarter past (\(15\text{ minutes}\))
• 差 (chà) = to / short of
Examples:
• 8:00 = 八点 (bā diǎn)
• 8:05 = 八点零五分 (bā diǎn líng wǔ fēn)
• 8:15 = 八点一刻 (bā diǎn yí kè) or 八点十五分 (bā diǎn shíwǔ fēn)
• 8:30 = 八点半 (bā diǎn bàn)
• 9:55 (Five to ten) = 差五分十点 (chà wǔ fēn shí diǎn)
Key Takeaway: Always arrange time from largest to smallest unit (Year \(\rightarrow\) Month \(\rightarrow\) Day \(\rightarrow\) Time of Day \(\rightarrow\) Hour \(\rightarrow\) Minute).
---4. Sentence Structure: Time-When vs. Duration
This is one of the most heavily tested grammar areas in GCSE Chinese. Pay close attention to the difference between when an action happens and how long it lasts!
1. Time-When (Point in Time)
This tells us when something happens (e.g., tomorrow, at 3 o'clock, next week).
Rule: Time-When ALWAYS goes BEFORE the main verb.
Structure: Subject + [Time-When] + Verb + Object
Example: 我明天去学校。(Wǒ míngtiān qù xuéxiào.) = I am going to school tomorrow.
Common Mistake: Never put time at the very end of the sentence like in English (e.g., Avoid: *我去学校明天).
2. Duration (Length of Time)
This tells us how long an action lasts (e.g., for two hours, for three days).
Rule: Duration goes AFTER the verb.
Structure: Subject + Verb + [Duration]
Example: 我睡了八个小时。(Wǒ shuì le bā ge xiǎoshí.) = I slept for eight hours.
Quick Comparison Table
• Time-When (Point in Time): Place BEFORE the verb \(\rightarrow\) 我三点去。(I will go at 3 o'clock.)
• Duration (Length of Time): Place AFTER the verb \(\rightarrow\) 我学了三年。(I studied for three years.)
Key Takeaway: "When" goes before the verb; "How long" goes after the verb.
---5. Prices and Currencies
In your exam, you will encounter both formal/written terms and spoken terms for Chinese currency (RMB / 人民币).
The Three Currency Units
1. Main unit (Dollars / Pounds equivalent):
• Formal / Written: 元 (yuán)
• Spoken / Everyday: 块 (kuài)
2. Tenths (10-cent / 10p equivalent):
• Formal / Written: 角 (jiǎo)
• Spoken / Everyday: 毛 (máo)
3. Hundredths (Cents / Pennies equivalent):
• Formal & Spoken: 分 (fēn)
Currency Conversion
\(1\text{ 元 (yuán)} = 10\text{ 角 (jiǎo)} = 100\text{ 分 (fēn)}\)
\(1\text{ 块 (kuài)} = 10\text{ 毛 (máo)} = 100\text{ 分 (fēn)}\)
Reading Prices
Prices are read by stating each number followed by its unit:
• ¥5.60: Spoken as 五块六毛 (wǔ kuài liù máo) or simply 五块六 (wǔ kuài liù).
• ¥12.50: Spoken as 十二块五 (shí'èr kuài wǔ).
• ¥3.08: Spoken as 三块零八分 (sān kuài líng bā fēn) (Notice the 零 for zero!).
Note: In casual spoken Chinese, if a price has a main unit and a fraction unit (like \(5.60\)), the final unit 毛 (máo) is often omitted (e.g. 五块六).
Key Takeaway: Remember the spoken pairs: 块 (kuài) for pounds/dollars, 毛 (máo) for tenths, and 分 (fēn) for cents.
---6. Top Exam Pitfalls & Traps to Avoid
1. The English Word Order Trap:
Do not translate "I play football on Saturday" word-for-word as *我踢足球在星期六. Keep the time before the verb: 我星期六踢足球 (Wǒ xīngqīliù tī zúqiú).
2. Listening Confusion between 四 (sì) and 十 (shí):
• 四 (sì) = 4 (4th tone, sharp falling sound).
• 十 (shí) = 10 (2nd tone, rising sound).
Examiners frequently test this distinction in Paper 1 (Listening). Listen carefully to the tone and vowel sound!
3. Reading Years Incorrectly:
Do not read years as whole thousands. 1998 is 一九九八年 (yī jiǔ jiǔ bā nián), not 一千九百九十八年.
4. Mixing up 二 and 两:
Always use 两 (liǎng) when counting items with a measure word: 两个 (liǎng ge), not *二个.
7. Quick Review Checklist
Before moving on, make sure you can answer these check questions:
• Can you say \(105\) and \(10,005\) using the zero rule 零 (líng)?
• Do you know why we say 两个人 (liǎng ge rén) but 第二 (dì-èr)?
• Can you write your full birth date from largest unit to smallest unit?
• Where does the time word go in a sentence describing an action?
• What are the everyday spoken words for Chinese currency units (块 kuài, 毛 máo, 分 fēn)?