Chinese Conversation · Level 2
86 words
Chinese word
四
Pronunciation
Pinyinsì
Meaning
- numberfour
Example
现在是四点了。xiàn zài shì sì diǎn le
It's four o'clock now.
More examples
他四岁了。tā sì suì le
He is four years old.
Core concept
The number that follows three and gives a group, position, or clock time the value of four.
Common phrases
四个sì gè
four
四岁sì suì
four years old
四点sì diǎn
four o'clock
Similar words
三sān: A number that represents a quantity of three.
五wǔ: A number that represents a quantity of five.
二èr: A number that represents a quantity of two.
一yī: A number that represents a quantity of one.
Definition in Chinese
表示数量为四的基数词，可表示四个单位，也可表示第四或四点钟的时刻biǎo shì shù liàng wèi sì de jī shù cí kě biǎo shì sì gè dān wèi yě kě biǎo shì dì sì huò sì diǎn zhōng de shí kè
Word origin
The character 四 (sì, "four") took on its number meaning through early borrowing in Chinese writing, while later written forms developed into the modern square shape.
Usage tips
- In Mandarin, 四 (sì, "four") sounds like 死 (sǐ, "death"), so some building and room numbers avoid 四 as a cultural convention.
Other meanings
- fourthordinal number
Related words
- 第四dì sìfourthordinal number