How to Say "Bce" in Chinese - How To Say Guide

公元前

gōngyuán qián

The Chinese way to say 'BCE' (Before the Common Era) is 公元前 (gōngyuán qián).

公元前 is used specifically for historical dates and eras preceding the common era.

Meaning: secularized form of BC (adv)

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase 公元前 is composed of 公元 (common era) and 前 (before).

gōngyuán qián

Chinese historical records often avoid 公元前 entirely by using the names of dynasties, such as the 'Zhou Dynasty', to mark time.
In traditional Chinese date formatting, 公元前 is placed before the year, whereas in English, 'BCE' is typically written after the year.
The character 元 in 公元 can mean 'first' or 'beginning', effectively defining the 'Common Era' as the 'Era of the Beginning'.

中国长城建于公元前3世纪左右
The Great Wall of China was built around the 3rd century BCE.
周代早期存在于公元前11世纪
The early Zhou Dynasty existed during the 11th century BCE.
兵马俑埋葬于公元前210年左右
The Terracotta Army was buried around 210 BCE.
许多中国古代王朝出现在公元前的年代
Many ancient Chinese dynasties emerged during the era before the common era.
夏代的建立可以追溯到公元前21世纪左右
The foundation of the Xia Dynasty dates back to around the 21st century BCE.
这是公元前的一件文物。
Zhè shì gōngyuánqián de yī jiàn wénwù.
This is an artifact from BC.

Two students are discussing a history assignment in the library.

雨婷 Yuting

这个文明是在公元前什么时候建立的？
Zhège wénmíng shì zài gōngyuánqián shénme shíhou jiànlì de?
When was this civilization established in BC?
俊杰 Junjie

大概是公元前三千年的样子。
Dàgài shì gōngyuánqián sānqiān nián de yàngzi.
It was around 3000 BC.
雨婷 Yuting

哇，那真是非常古老。
Wa, nà zhēnshì fēicháng gǔlǎo.
Wow, that is truly very ancient.
俊杰 Junjie

是的，雨婷，我们要仔细研究一下。
Shì de, Yǔtíng, wǒmen yào zǐxì yánjiū yīxià.
Yes, Yuting, we need to study it carefully.

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