Mastering Chinese Numbers, Dates, Times, and Duration
Welcome to one of the most practical and scoring chapters in your GCSE Chinese course! Expressing numbers, dates, times, and prices accurately is essential across all four exam papers: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. Don't worry if word order or big numbers feel unfamiliar right now. In this guide, we will break down each concept step-by-step with clear rules, real-world examples, and memory tricks to help you gain full marks.
---1. The Chinese Number System (Up to \(1,000,000\))
The Chinese number system is logical and regular. Once you know the core digits and place values, you can build any number up to one million.
A. Base Digits (0 to 10)
• 0: 零 (líng)
• 1: 一 (yī)
• 2: 二 (èr)
• 3: 三 (sān)
• 4: 四 (sì)
• 5: 五 (wǔ)
• 6: 六 (liù)
• 7: 七 (qī)
• 8: 八 (bā)
• 9: 九 (jiǔ)
• 10: 十 (shí)
B. Place Values and the "Four-Digit" Rule
In English, large numbers change units every three zeros: thousands (\(1,000\)), millions (\(1,000,000\)). In Chinese, large numbers are grouped into units of four zeros (万 wàn = \(10,000\)).
• 10: 十 (shí)
• 100: 百 (bǎi)
• 1,000: 千 (qiān)
• 10,000: 万 (wàn)
• 100,000: 十万 (shí wàn — literally "ten ten-thousands")
• 1,000,000: 一百万 (yī bǎi wàn — literally "one hundred ten-thousands")
Examiner Warning: Never translate "\(50,000\)" as 五十千. You must group it as \(5\) ten-thousands: 五万 (wǔ wàn).
C. Rules for Middle Zeros (零)
1. Single internal zeros: When a zero sits between higher and lower place units, you must say 零 (líng).
Example: \(105\) = 一百零五 (yī bǎi líng wǔ)
Example: \(1,008\) = 一千零八 (yī qiān líng bā)
2. Consecutive zeros: If there are two or three zeros in a row in the middle of a number, only pronounce one 零.
Example: \(10,005\) = 一万零五 (yī wàn líng wǔ)
D. 二 (èr) versus 两 (liǎng)
Both words mean "two", but they have distinct grammatical jobs:
Use 二 (èr) for:
• Sequential counting: 一, 二, 三 (yī, èr, sān)
• Ordinals: 第二 (dì-èr — second)
• Units and tens places: 二十二 (èrshí'èr — \(22\))
• Phone numbers, years, and room numbers
Use 两 (liǎng) for:
• Quantity before a measure word: 两个人 (liǎng gè rén — two people), 两本书 (liǎng běn shū — two books)
• Large base multipliers (hundreds, thousands, ten-thousands): 两百 (\(200\)), 两千 (\(2,000\)), 两万 (\(20,000\))
Key Takeaway: Always group large numbers in blocks of \(10,000\) (万), include 零 for internal gaps, and use 两 before measure words and large units.
---2. Ordinal Numbers with 第 (dì)
Turning a normal number into an ordinal number (1st, 2nd, 3rd) in Chinese is very simple. Place 第 (dì) directly in front of the cardinal number.
Formula: 第 + Number (+ Measure Word + Noun)
• 第一 (dì-yī) = First / 1st
• 第二天 (dì-èr tiān) = The second day
• 第三个星期 (dì-sān gè xīngqī) = The third week
• 第一次 (dì-yī cì) = The first time
Common Trap: Never use 两 with 第. "The second" is always 第二 (dì-èr), never *第两.
---3. Prices and Currency Expressions
In Chinese, money units differ depending on whether you are speaking informally or writing formally.
A. Currency Units Breakdown
• Base Unit (Yuan / Dollar): 块 (kuài - spoken) / 元 (yuán - written/formal)
• 1/10 Unit (10 Cents / Dimes): 毛 (máo - spoken) / 角 (jiǎo - written/formal)
• 1/100 Unit (Cents / Pence): 分 (fēn - spoken & written)
B. Price Patterns
• ¥ 5.50: 五块五毛 (wǔ kuài wǔ máo) or colloquially 五块五 (wǔ kuài wǔ). If only one trailing unit digit follows, the final measure word (毛) is often omitted.
• ¥ 5.05: 五块零五分 (wǔ kuài líng wǔ fēn). You must include 零 and you cannot drop 分 here!
• ¥ 2.50: 两块五(毛) (liǎng kuài wǔ) — remember to use 两 for two units of money.
• Asking the price: 多少钱？ (Duōshao qián? — How much money is it?)
4. Dates and the Calendar
Chinese organizes time logically from the largest unit to the smallest unit:
Formula: Year (年) → Month (月) → Day (日/号) → Day of the Week (星期)
A. Years (年 - nián)
Years are read digit-by-digit followed by 年:
Example: 2026年 = 二零二六年 (èr líng èr liù nián)
B. Months (月 - yuè)
Simply say the number of the month (\(1\) to \(12\)) followed by 月:
• 一月 (yī yuè) = January
• 八月 (bā yuè) = August
• 十二月 (shí'èr yuè) = December
C. Days of the Month (日 / 号 - rì / hào)
Use the number (\(1\) to \(31\)) followed by 号 (spoken) or 日 (formal/written):
Example: 26号 / 26日 = 二十六号 / 二十六日 (èrshíliù hào / èrshíliù rì)
D. Days of the Week (星期 / 周 / 礼拜)
Say 星期 (xīngqī) or 周 (zhōu) followed by numbers \(1\) to \(6\). For Sunday, use 天 (spoken) or 日 (written):
• 星期一 (xīngqī yī) = Monday
• 星期六 (xīngqī liù) = Saturday
• 星期天 / 星期日 (xīngqī tiān / xīngqī rì) = Sunday
Full Date Example:
Wednesday, 15 October 2025 = 2025年10月15日，星期三 (èr líng èr wǔ nián shí yuè shíwǔ rì, xīngqī sān)
5. Clock Time (Points in Time)
Just like dates, clock times follow the Largest to Smallest rule: Time of Day → Hour → Minute.
A. Times of Day
• 早上 (zǎoshang) = Early morning
• 上午 (shàngwǔ) = Morning (before noon)
• 中午 (zhōngwǔ) = Noon
• 下午 (xiàwǔ) = Afternoon
• 晚上 (wǎnshang) = Evening / Night
B. Time Units on the Clock
• Hour (o'clock): 点 (diǎn) / 点钟 (diǎnzhōng)
• Minute: 分 (fēn)
• Quarter past (\(15\) mins): 一刻 (yī kè)
• Half past (\(30\) mins): 半 (bàn)
• Quarter to (\(45\) mins): 三刻 (sān kè) or use 差 (chà - to lack)
• To / Minus: 差 (chà)
C. Example Times
• 8:00 AM: 早上八点 (zǎoshang bā diǎn)
• 2:15: 两点一刻 (liǎng diǎn yī kè) or 两点十五分 (liǎng diǎn shíwǔ fēn)
• 3:30: 三点半 (sān diǎn bàn) or 三点三十分 (sān diǎn sānshí fēn)
• 9:05: 九点零五分 (jiǔ diǎn líng wǔ fēn — zero required!)
• 7:55 (Five to eight): 差五分八点 (chà wǔ fēn bā diǎn)
6. Point in Time vs. Duration of Time
This is one of the most tested areas in GCSE Chinese. You must clearly distinguish between when an event happens (Point in Time) and how long it lasts (Duration).
A. Comparison Table
1. Hours:
• Point in Time: 两点 (liǎng diǎn — 2:00 o'clock)
• Duration: 两个小时 (liǎng gè xiǎoshí) / 两个钟头 (liǎng gè zhōngtóu — two hours)
2. Minutes:
• Point in Time: 五分 (wǔ fēn — 5 minutes past)
• Duration: 五分钟 (wǔ fēnzhōng — for 5 minutes)
3. Days:
• Point in Time: 三号 / 三日 (sān hào / sān rì — the 3rd day of the month)
• Duration: 三天 (sān tiān — three days) [Note: No measure word 个!]
4. Weeks:
• Point in Time: 星期一 (xīngqī yī — Monday)
• Duration: 一个星期 (yī gè xīngqī — for one week)
5. Months:
• Point in Time: 三月 (sān yuè — March)
• Duration: 三个月 (sān gè yuè — three months)
6. Years:
• Point in Time: 2025年 (the year 2025)
• Duration: 两年 (liǎng nián — two years) [Note: No measure word 个!]
Quick Memory Tip: 天 (day) and 年 (year) act as their own measure words. Never put 个 in front of them (e.g., say 三天, never *三个天).
---7. Time-Expression Word Order in Sentences
Chinese sentence structure treats "Time When" and "Duration" completely differently. Master these two rules for top marks in your writing and translation papers.
Rule 1: "Time When" (Point in Time) MUST go BEFORE the Verb
In English, we say: "I go to school at 8:00 tomorrow morning."
In Chinese, the time-when must appear before the verb (either before or after the subject).
Formula: Subject + Time When + Verb + Object OR Time When + Subject + Verb + Object
• Correct: 我明天上午八点去学校。
• Correct: 明天上午八点我去学校。
• STRICT PROHIBITION: *我去学校明天上午八点 (Never place time-when at the end of a sentence!)
Rule 2: "Duration" (How Long) MUST go AFTER the Verb
Duration expressions tell us how long an action lasts, so they belong in the predicate section after the verb.
Formula A (Verb + Object + Verb + Duration):
If the verb has an object, repeat the verb before the duration:
• 我学中文学了两年。 (Wǒ xué Zhōngwén xué le liǎng nián. — I have studied Chinese for two years.)
• 他游泳游了一个小时。 (Tā yóuyǒng yóu le yí gè xiǎoshí. — He swam for an hour.)
Formula B (Verb + Duration + 的 + Object):
Alternatively, insert the duration between the verb and the noun object:
• 我看了两个小时(的)书。 (Wǒ kàn le liǎng gè xiǎoshí (de) shū. — I read books for two hours.)
8. Top 5 Common Pitfalls to Avoid
1. The "Fifty Thousand" Trap: Writing *五十千 instead of 五万 (wǔ wàn). Always group big numbers into \(10,000\)s.
2. "Two o'clock" Mistake: Writing *二点 instead of 两点 (liǎng diǎn).
3. March vs. Three Months: Translating "three months" as 三月 (which means March) instead of 三个月.
4. English Word Order Leakage: Writing *我见朋友下午三点 instead of 我下午三点见朋友.
5. Missing 零 in Prices: Writing ¥\(3.05\) as *三块五 (which means ¥\(3.50\)) instead of 三块零五分.
Quick Summary Checklist
✔ Large Numbers: Base \(10,000\) (万), one 零 for middle gaps.
✔ Ordinals: 第 + Number (e.g., 第一).
✔ Prices: 块 (Yuan), 毛 (10 cents), 分 (1 cent).
✔ Dates & Clock Times: Largest unit first (Year → Month → Day → Time of Day → Hour → Minute).
✔ Point in Time: Before the verb.
✔ Duration: After the verb.