Chinese word

第二

Pronunciation

Pinyindì èr

Meaning

  • ordinal numbersecond

Example

他排在队伍的第二位。tā pái zài duì wǔ de dì èr wèi

He is second in line.

Illustration for 第二 (second)

More examples

今天是我工作的第二天。jīn tiān shì wǒ gōng zuò de dì èr tiān

Today is my second day at work.

Core concept

The point in an ordered line that comes immediately after the first.

Common phrases

  • 第二个dì èr gè

    second one

  • 第二天dì èr tiān

    second day

Similar words

第一dì yī: Shows that a person or thing comes first in an ordered group.
第三dì sān: Shows that a person or thing comes third in an ordered group.
第二次dì èr cì: Shows that an event or action happens for the second time.

Definition in Chinese

作为序数词，表示在某个顺序中排在第二的位置。zuò wéi xù shù cí biǎo shì zài mǒu gè shùn xù zhōng pái zài dì èr de wèi zhì

Word origin

第 (dì, "ordinal marker") + 二 (èr, "two") combines an ordinal marker with the number two to form the next position after first.

Usage tips

  • English uses "second" for both order and repeated events, but Chinese uses 第二次 (dì'èr cì, "second time") for a second occurrence.

Other meanings

  • second placeordinal number

Opposites

  • 第一dì yīfirstordinal number

Word lists with this word