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Level 2 · Lesson 14 星期一,星期二
Monday, Tuesday
今天是星期四。星期天是十月五号。
The week is numbered, and a Chinese date runs from the year down to the day.
听 · Listen
对话
Anna, is today Wednesday?
Today is Thursday.
Thursday! I have class at three this afternoon.
On Saturday and Sunday we have no class.
On Sunday I'm going to the shop to buy things.
Is Sunday October 5th?
Yes, October 5th.
Great — I'll go on Sunday too!
讲解 · Explanation
星期一、星期二、星期三、星期四、星期五、星期六、星期天。
The Chinese week is simply counted. 星期 means 'week', and you add the number of the day to it: Monday is day one, so 星期一; Tuesday 星期二; and so on up to 星期六 for Saturday. Only Sunday breaks the pattern — there is no 星期七. It is 星期天 in speech and 星期日 in writing. Note that the 一 of 星期一 keeps its own first tone, yī, as it does whenever it names a date.
一九九九年十月五号。今天是十月五号。
A Chinese date runs from the biggest unit to the smallest: year, then month, then day — the reverse of the English order. The year is read digit by digit, not as a whole number: 一九九九年 is yī jiǔ jiǔ jiǔ nián. Months are just a number plus 月: 一月 is January, 十月 is October, 十二月 is December. Days are a number plus 号 when you speak, plus 日 when you write: 五号 is the fifth.
今天是星期四。今天星期四。
Both of these are correct. Before a weekday, a date or a clock time, everyday speech often drops 是 altogether: 今天星期四, 明天十月六号. Keep 是 when you want to be clear or emphatic, and keep it always in a 吗 question with a date: 今天是星期三吗? This dropping happens with times and dates only — 我是学生 never loses its 是.
生词 · Vocabulary
| 词 | Meaning | 注 · Note |
|---|---|---|
| 星期 | week | 星期一 = Monday, day one |
| 星期天 | Sunday | 星期日 in writing; never 星期七 |
| 月 | month | number + 月: 一月 = January |
| 号 | day of the month | 五号 = the 5th; 日 in writing |
| 年 | year | read digit by digit: 一九九九年 |
练习 · Practice
用一用 · Use it
今天是星期四,十月二号。明天是星期五,十月三号。
Say today's weekday and today's date aloud, then tomorrow's. Then run through the whole week once — 星期一 to 星期天 — and say what you do on each day, using the verbs you already have: 星期一我上课。星期六我买东西。星期天我不上课。 Finish with your own birthday as month plus 号.