Chinese word

先生

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiān shēng

Meaning

  • nounmister

Example

王先生在楼下等你。wáng xiān shēng zài lóu xià děng nǐ

Mr. Wang is waiting for you downstairs.

Illustration for 先生 (mister)

More examples

请问，先生在哪儿？qǐng wèn xiān shēng zài nǎr

Excuse me, where is the teacher?

Core concept

An honorific for a man that marks him as a respected adult and can also name a teacher or, in some dialects, a husband.

Common phrases

  • 李先生lǐ xiān shēng

    Mr. Li

  • 给先生打电话gěi xiān shēng dǎ diàn huà

    call the teacher

Similar words

老师lǎo shī: A title for someone who teaches in a school or classroom.
小姐xiáo jiě: A courteous way to address a young woman.
女士nǚ shì: A formal and respectful way to address an adult woman.

Definition in Chinese

对成年男性的礼貌称呼，常用作姓名前的敬称；也可指教师或学者，部分方言中可指丈夫。duì chéng nián nán xìng de lǐ mào chēng hū cháng yòng zuò xìng míng qián de jìng chēng yě kě zhǐ jiào shī huò xué zhě bù fèn fāng yán zhōng kě zhǐ zhàng fū

Word origin

先生 (xiānshēng, "mister") combines 先 (xiān, "earlier") and 生 (shēng, "to be born"), reflecting an old idea of someone born earlier and therefore worthy of respect.

Usage tips

  • Chinese normally places this title after the family name, whereas English places Mr. before it, so the word order changes across languages.

Other meanings

  • teachernoun
  • husbandnoun
  • gentlemannoun

Word lists with this word