星期
Xīngqī/ɕiŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵/
In Chinese, the phrase for 'days of week' is 星期 (Xīngqī).
The term 星期 refers to the names of the seven days in a week.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 星期 literally translates to 'star period', referring to the ancient practice of naming days after celestial bodies.
Which one should you use?
While 星期 is the standard term, 礼拜 is a common colloquial alternative. For a more formal or concise way to refer to the week and its days (e.g., 周一 for Monday), the single character 周 can be used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The numbers one through six are used to denote Monday through Saturday. Sunday is a special case and does not use the number seven. Instead, it uses the characters for 'day' or 'sun'.
How do you pronounce it?
Xīngqī (/ɕiŋ⁵⁵ tɕʰi⁵⁵/).
Did you know?
- While 星期 is the standard term, the alternative 礼拜 originates from the word for 'worship'. It was introduced to the Chinese language via Christian missionaries to denote the 'Sabbath'.
- The word 周 (zhōu) originally referred to a cycle or a circuit. Using it for the week emphasizes the concept of a recurring loop of time rather than a set of individual days.
- Because the days of the week are numbered, Chinese speakers can perform mental math to figure out the date. If today is 星期三 (Wednesday), they can easily calculate that three days from now is 星期六 (Saturday) without needing unique names.
Examples in context
- 我星期一有一个会议。I have a meeting on Monday.
- 我们星期三晚上见面吧。Let's meet on Wednesday evening.
- 我星期天通常会放松。I usually relax on Sundays.
- 星期一很忙。Xīngqīyī hěn máng.Monday is very busy.
- 你星期几有空？Nǐ xīngqī jǐ yǒu kòng?Which day of the week are you free?
- 这个星期天天气很好。Zhège xīngqītiān tiānqì hěn hǎo.The weather is very good this Sunday.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing their weekend plans.
- 志强 Zhiqiang你星期六有空吗？Nǐ xīngqīliù yǒu kòng ma?Are you free this Saturday?
- 雨婷 Yuting我有空，有什么事吗？Wǒ yǒu kòng, yǒu shénme shì ma?I am free, what's up?
- 志强 Zhiqiang我们星期六去爬山吧。Wǒmen xīngqīliù qù páshān ba.Let's go hiking this Saturday.
- 雨婷 Yuting好啊，没问题。Hǎo a, méi wèntí.Sure, no problem.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 星期, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
