Chinese time expressions are strikingly systematic compared to English. Days of the week are formed by a single stem 星期 (xīngqī, "week") plus a number: 星期一 (Monday), 星期二 (Tuesday), through 星期六 (Saturday), with 星期日 (Sunday) using the character for "sun." Months follow the same logic: numeral plus 月 (yuè, "month"). Dates read largest-to-smallest, from year down to hour. The result is a calendar system that, once learned, rarely produces ambiguity, and which foreign speakers often find simpler than the irregular English day-and-month names.
Underneath the Gregorian calendar sits the traditional 农历 (nónglì, "agricultural calendar"), a lunisolar system that still governs festivals such as Spring Festival (春节), Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节), and Qingming. Chinese speakers often mentally track both calendars, and dates on invitations or festivals may be given in either. This reference covers the Gregorian system, the lunar calendar vocabulary, clock times, parts of the day, relative time expressions, and common time-related phrases. For grammatical particles 了 and 过 used with time phrases, see the Chinese sentence particles reference. For tones essential to saying times correctly, see the Chinese tones complete guide. For the basic grammar of expressions such as "today is Monday," see the Chinese grammar rules guide.
Days of the Week
The Chinese week begins on Monday (not Sunday). There are two parallel systems: 星期 (xīngqī, common in the mainland and Singapore) and 礼拜 (lǐbài, common in Taiwan and among older speakers). 周 (zhōu) is a shorter and increasingly popular variant.
Table 1. Days of the week.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Alternate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 星期一 | xīngqī yī | Monday | 周一 / 礼拜一 |
| 星期二 | xīngqī èr | Tuesday | 周二 / 礼拜二 |
| 星期三 | xīngqī sān | Wednesday | 周三 / 礼拜三 |
| 星期四 | xīngqī sì | Thursday | 周四 / 礼拜四 |
| 星期五 | xīngqī wǔ | Friday | 周五 / 礼拜五 |
| 星期六 | xīngqī liù | Saturday | 周六 / 礼拜六 |
| 星期日 | xīngqī rì | Sunday | 周日 / 礼拜日 |
| 星期天 | xīngqī tiān | Sunday (colloquial) | 周天 |
Note that Sunday uniquely uses 日 (rì, "sun") or 天 (tiān, "day"), never 七. The expression 今天星期几 (jīntiān xīngqī jǐ, "what day of the week is today?") is the standard question.
Months
Months are numbered 1 through 12, paired with 月 (yuè, "month").
Table 2. Months.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 一月 | yī yuè | January |
| 二月 | èr yuè | February |
| 三月 | sān yuè | March |
| 四月 | sì yuè | April |
| 五月 | wǔ yuè | May |
| 六月 | liù yuè | June |
| 七月 | qī yuè | July |
| 八月 | bā yuè | August |
| 九月 | jiǔ yuè | September |
| 十月 | shí yuè | October |
| 十一月 | shíyī yuè | November |
| 十二月 | shí'èr yuè | December |
A common learner error is to treat 月 as "moon." The character originally depicts a crescent moon and does mean "moon" in compounds such as 月亮 (yuèliang, "moon [noun]") and 月光 (yuèguāng, "moonlight"). But when numbered, 月 always means "month." Context distinguishes: 五月 is "May," 月亮 is "the moon."
Dates
Chinese dates read largest unit first: year, month, day. A full date is 2024年3月15日 (2024 nián 3 yuè 15 rì). In conversation, 日 is often replaced by 号 (hào, "number") as in 3月15号.
Table 3. Date components.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 年 | nián | Year |
| 月 | yuè | Month |
| 日 | rì | Day (formal, written) |
| 号 | hào | Day (colloquial, spoken) |
| 星期 | xīngqī | Week |
| 今年 | jīnnián | This year |
| 去年 | qùnián | Last year |
| 明年 | míngnián | Next year |
| 前年 | qiánnián | Year before last |
| 后年 | hòunián | Year after next 年 |
Table 4. Reading years.
Years in Chinese are usually read digit by digit, not as complete numbers: 2024 is 二零二四 (èr líng èr sì), not 两千零二十四. Formal documents may use the latter form.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 二零二四年 | èr líng èr sì nián | 2024 |
| 一九九零年 | yī jiǔ jiǔ líng nián | 1990 |
| 二零二零年 | èr líng èr líng nián | 2020 |
| 公元 | gōngyuán | CE (Common Era) |
| 公元前 | gōngyuán qián | BCE |
Telling Time
Chinese clock time uses 点 (diǎn, "o'clock") and 分 (fēn, "minute"). Half past is 半 (bàn). Quarter past and quarter to are 一刻 (yí kè) and 三刻 (sān kè). Time is read hour first.
Table 5. Time vocabulary.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 点 | diǎn | O'clock |
| 分 | fēn | Minute |
| 秒 | miǎo | Second |
| 半 | bàn | Half |
| 刻 | kè | Quarter (15 min) |
| 差 | chà | Short of, less (as in "5 to") |
| 整 | zhěng | Sharp, on the dot |
| 小时 | xiǎoshí | Hour |
| 分钟 | fēnzhōng | Minute (duration) |
Table 6. Example times.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 三点 | sān diǎn | 3:00 |
| 三点整 | sān diǎn zhěng | 3:00 sharp |
| 三点十分 | sān diǎn shí fēn | 3:10 |
| 三点一刻 | sān diǎn yí kè | 3:15 |
| 三点半 | sān diǎn bàn | 3:30 |
| 三点三刻 | sān diǎn sān kè | 3:45 |
| 差五分四点 | chà wǔ fēn sì diǎn | 5 to 4 (3:55) |
| 晚上八点 | wǎnshang bā diǎn | 8:00 PM |
The 24-hour clock is common in written schedules (train timetables, TV guides) but spoken time nearly always uses 12-hour with a part-of-day marker: 早上 (morning), 上午 (before noon), 中午 (noon), 下午 (afternoon), 晚上 (evening), 夜里 (night).
Table 7. Parts of the day.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 凌晨 | língchén | Pre-dawn | 1-5 AM |
| 早上 | zǎoshang | Early morning | 6-9 AM |
| 上午 | shàngwǔ | Morning | 9 AM-noon |
| 中午 | zhōngwǔ | Noon | 11 AM-1 PM |
| 下午 | xiàwǔ | Afternoon | 1-6 PM |
| 傍晚 | bàngwǎn | Dusk | 5-7 PM |
| 晚上 | wǎnshang | Evening, night | 6-11 PM |
| 半夜 | bànyè | Midnight | 11 PM-1 AM |
| 夜里 | yèlǐ | Late night | general term |
Relative Time Expressions
Table 8. Days relative to now.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 今天 | jīntiān | Today |
| 昨天 | zuótiān | Yesterday |
| 前天 | qiántiān | Day before yesterday |
| 大前天 | dà qiántiān | Three days ago |
| 明天 | míngtiān | Tomorrow |
| 后天 | hòutiān | Day after tomorrow |
| 大后天 | dà hòutiān | Three days from now |
Table 9. Weeks, months, years relative to now.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 这个星期 | zhè ge xīngqī | This week |
| 上个星期 | shàng ge xīngqī | Last week |
| 下个星期 | xià ge xīngqī | Next week |
| 这个月 | zhè ge yuè | This month |
| 上个月 | shàng ge yuè | Last month |
| 下个月 | xià ge yuè | Next month |
| 今年 | jīnnián | This year |
| 去年 | qùnián | Last year |
| 明年 | míngnián | Next year |
Note the pattern: for weeks and months, 上 (up, previous) and 下 (down, next) mark past and future. For days, 昨 and 明; for years, 去 and 明/来.
Duration vs. Point in Time
Chinese distinguishes time-when (when something happens, no 了 needed) from duration (how long, requires specific structures). 分钟 (minute as duration) and 分 (minute as clock reading) are different words. 小时 (hour) versus 点钟 (o'clock) follow the same split.
Table 10. Duration expressions.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 一分钟 | yì fēnzhōng | One minute |
| 一小时 | yì xiǎoshí | One hour |
| 半小时 | bàn xiǎoshí | Half an hour |
| 一天 | yì tiān | One day |
| 一个星期 | yí ge xīngqī | One week |
| 一个月 | yí ge yuè | One month |
| 一年 | yì nián | One year |
| 一会儿 | yíhuìr | A little while |
| 很久 | hěnjiǔ | A long time |
Example: 我学了一年中文 (wǒ xué le yì nián Zhōngwén, "I studied Chinese for one year"). The duration comes after the verb and 了 marks completion.
The difference between 两点 and 两个小时 matters: 两点 is "2 o'clock," a point in time; 两个小时 is "two hours," a duration. A sentence like "I'll arrive at 2" uses 两点; "I traveled for 2 hours" uses 两个小时. Both use 两 instead of 二 because they are followed by classifier-like units. See the Chinese measure words classifiers reference.
The Lunar Calendar and Chinese Zodiac
The 农历 (nónglì) lunisolar calendar regulates traditional festivals. A lunar year has 12 or 13 months of 29 or 30 days, keeping approximate solar alignment through intercalary months (闰月, rùnyuè).
Table 11. Lunar calendar vocabulary.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 农历 | nónglì | Lunar calendar |
| 阳历 | yánglì | Solar (Gregorian) calendar |
| 阴历 | yīnlì | Lunar calendar (alternative term) |
| 闰月 | rùnyuè | Leap month |
| 初一 | chū yī | 1st day of lunar month |
| 十五 | shíwǔ | 15th day (full moon) |
| 生肖 | shēngxiào | Zodiac animal |
| 属相 | shǔxiang | Zodiac sign |
Table 12. The twelve zodiac animals (in order).
| Chinese | Pinyin | Animal |
|---|---|---|
| 鼠 | shǔ | Rat |
| 牛 | niú | Ox |
| 虎 | hǔ | Tiger |
| 兔 | tù | Rabbit |
| 龙 | lóng | Dragon |
| 蛇 | shé | Snake |
| 马 | mǎ | Horse |
| 羊 | yáng | Goat/sheep |
| 猴 | hóu | Monkey |
| 鸡 | jī | Rooster |
| 狗 | gǒu | Dog |
| 猪 | zhū | Pig |
The question "what's your zodiac?" is 你属什么 (nǐ shǔ shénme). An answer is 我属马 (wǒ shǔ mǎ, "I'm born in the year of the horse").
Traditional Festivals
Table 13. Major festivals.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 春节 | Chūnjié | Spring Festival, Lunar New Year | Lunar 1/1 |
| 元宵节 | Yuánxiāo jié | Lantern Festival | Lunar 1/15 |
| 清明节 | Qīngmíng jié | Tomb Sweeping Day | ~April 4-6 |
| 端午节 | Duānwǔ jié | Dragon Boat Festival | Lunar 5/5 |
| 中秋节 | Zhōngqiū jié | Mid-Autumn Festival | Lunar 8/15 |
| 国庆节 | Guóqìng jié | National Day | October 1 |
| 元旦 | Yuándàn | New Year's Day | January 1 |
Common Time Phrases
Table 14. Useful time phrases.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 现在几点 | xiànzài jǐ diǎn | What time is it? |
| 今天几号 | jīntiān jǐ hào | What's today's date? |
| 什么时候 | shénme shíhou | When? |
| 几点钟 | jǐ diǎn zhōng | What time? |
| 多长时间 | duō cháng shíjiān | How long? |
| 马上 | mǎshàng | Right away |
| 一会儿 | yíhuìr | In a moment |
| 以前 | yǐqián | Before, previously |
| 以后 | yǐhòu | After, afterward |
| 的时候 | de shíhou | When (at the time of) |
| 一直 | yìzhí | Always, continuously |
| 从来 | cónglái | Ever (with negation) |
| 经常 | jīngcháng | Often |
| 有时候 | yǒushíhou | Sometimes |
Common Mistakes Learners Make
- Saying 星期七 for Sunday. Sunday is 星期日 or 星期天, never 七. The number-plus-day pattern stops at Saturday.
- Confusing 月 as moon and month. Numbered 月 is month; in compounds like 月亮 it's moon. Context decides.
- Using wrong number form for hours. Hours use 点; duration uses 小时. "It's 2" is 两点; "for 2 hours" is 两个小时.
- Reading years as whole numbers. Years are typically digit-by-digit: 2024 is 二零二四, not 两千二十四.
- Starting week on Sunday. Chinese weeks start Monday. 星期一 is day 1 of the week.
- Forgetting 号 vs 日. 号 is spoken casual; 日 is written formal. Mixing registers sounds odd.
- Date order. Year-month-day is the only correct order; European day-month-year or American month-day-year sound wrong in Chinese.
- Omitting classifier with 星期. 这个星期 (this week), not 这星期 in most contexts, though the latter is heard.
Quick Reference
- Days: 星期一 to 星期六, 星期日/天 for Sunday.
- Months: Number + 月 (一月 to 十二月).
- Date order: Year → month → day.
- Clock time: Hour + 点 + minutes + 分; 半 for half, 一刻 for quarter.
- Relative days: 昨天, 今天, 明天; 前天, 后天.
- Duration unit for minutes/hours: 分钟, 小时.
- Lunar vs solar: 农历 vs 阳历.
FAQ
Why is Sunday 星期日 and not 星期七?
Chinese adopted the "星期 plus number" pattern from European weekday counting, but Sunday is treated as the religious "sun day" (日) or colloquial "sky day" (天), following Latin and Germanic templates. Saying 星期七 is ungrammatical.
How do I write dates in Chinese?
Always year-month-day: 2024年3月15日. Avoid European or American order. In casual writing, 号 replaces 日: 3月15号.
Do Chinese people use the 24-hour clock?
In written schedules yes (train and flight times are 24-hour). In speech, 12-hour is standard with a part-of-day marker: 下午三点 (3 PM) vs 早上九点 (9 AM).
What is 农历 and do Chinese still use it?
农历 is the traditional lunisolar calendar. It governs festivals like Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn. For daily business and official purposes, the Gregorian calendar (阳历) is used; the lunar calendar lives alongside it for cultural events.
How do I ask someone's zodiac sign?
你属什么 (nǐ shǔ shénme, "what do you belong to?"). Answer: 我属 + animal (我属龙, I'm a dragon). Asking zodiac sometimes implies curiosity about age, since zodiac repeats every 12 years.
What's the difference between 时间 and 时候?
时间 (shíjiān) is "time" as a noun (I have time, waste time). 时候 (shíhou) is "when, at the moment of" used in clauses: 吃饭的时候 (when eating). The two are not interchangeable.
How do I say "every day" or "every week"?
Use 每 (měi): 每天 (every day), 每个星期 (every week), 每年 (every year), 每个月 (every month). 每 often pairs with 都 in the predicate: 每天我都学中文 (every day I study Chinese).
See Also
- Chinese HSK 1 vocabulary 150 essential words
- Chinese common phrases daily conversation reference
- Chinese grammar rules complete beginners guide
- Chinese sentence particles reference
- Chinese measure words classifiers reference
- Chinese tones complete guide with examples
- Pinyin complete guide
Author: Kalenux Team
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Sunday 星期日 and not 星期七?
Chinese adopted 星期 plus number from European weekday counting, but Sunday is treated as the 'sun day' (日) or colloquial 'sky day' (天). 星期七 is ungrammatical.
How do I write dates in Chinese?
Always year-month-day: 2024年3月15日. Avoid European or American order. In casual writing, 号 replaces 日: 3月15号.
Do Chinese people use the 24-hour clock?
In written schedules yes (train and flight times). In speech, 12-hour is standard with a part-of-day marker: 下午三点 (3 PM) vs 早上九点 (9 AM).
What is 农历 and do Chinese still use it?
农历 is the traditional lunisolar calendar. It governs festivals like Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn. For daily business the Gregorian calendar (阳历) is used; the lunar calendar lives alongside it for culture.
How do I ask someone's zodiac sign?
你属什么 (nǐ shǔ shénme, 'what do you belong to?'). Answer with 我属 + animal. Asking zodiac sometimes implies curiosity about age, since zodiac repeats every 12 years.
What's the difference between 时间 and 时候?
时间 (shíjiān) is time as a noun ('I have time'). 时候 (shíhou) is 'when, at the moment of', used in clauses like 吃饭的时候 (when eating). They are not interchangeable.
How do I say 'every day' or 'every week'?
Use 每: 每天 every day, 每个星期 every week, 每年 every year. 每 often pairs with 都 in the predicate: 每天我都学中文.
