Chinese Conversation · Level 34
90 words
Chinese word
四位
Pronunciation
Pinyinsì wèi
Meaning
- numberfour people
Example
餐厅里有四位客人在等位。cān tīng lǐ yǒu sì wèi kè rén zài děng wèi
There are four guests waiting for a table at the restaurant.
More examples
今天来了四位朋友。jīn tiān lái le sì wèi péng yǒu
Today, four friends came.
Core concept
Four people counted as respected individuals rather than anonymous units.
Common phrases
四位客人sì wèi kè rén
four guests
四位朋友sì wèi péng yǒu
four friends
四位学生sì wèi xué shēng
four students
Similar words
四个sì gè: Gives the ordinary count of four for people or things.
四人sì rén: Directly states that a group has four people in daily conversation.
四名sì míng: Refers to four people in formal notices, guidance, or other official situations.
Definition in Chinese
表示人数为四个，用于计量人的量词用法，「位」为礼貌称呼，常与客人、先生、朋友等连用。biǎo shì rén shù wèi sì gè yòng yú jì liàng rén de liàng cí yòng fǎ wèi wèi lǐ mào chēng hū cháng yǔ kè rén xiān shēng péng yǒu děng lián yòng
Word origin
位 (wèi, "place or status") came to mark a person's position and later became a respectful measure word, so 四位 (sìwèi, "four people") links the number four to that human marker.
Usage tips
- In restaurant and reception talk, this form lets staff report a party size while keeping the register courteous, a useful contrast with plain counting in English.