先生 xiānshēng Mr.; sir
Mr.; sir; teacher; husband
How to remember 先生: 先 first + 生 life = Mr.; sir.
Characters
How it is used
- Polite 'Mr. / sir', placed after the surname: 王先生 (Wáng xiānsheng) Mr. Wang.
- Also a wife's word for her husband (我先生, my husband). Female counterpart for address is 女士 (nǚshì) or 小姐 (xiǎojiě).
Example sentences
- 我认识那位先生。 Wǒ rènshi nà wèi xiānsheng.I know that gentleman over there.
- 那位先生很有礼貌。 Nà wèi xiānsheng hěn yǒu lǐmào.That man is extremely polite.
- 杜先生本来只想和她做朋友。 Dù xiānsheng běnlái zhǐ xiǎng hé tā zuò péngyou.Mr. Du originally just wanted to be friends with her.
- 宋先生富有吗？ Sòng xiānsheng fùyǒu ma?Is Mr. Song rich?