xiānsheng
standard
In pinyin "Mister" in Chinese is xiānsheng, written 先生 (xiānsheng). It follows the surname, so "Mr. Wang" is Wáng xiānsheng.
Chinese puts the family name first and the title after it. You can use xiānsheng with a surname or on its own, to a man you do not know well.
Meaning: title for a man (noun)
Which one should you use?
Xiānsheng can also mean "husband" or "teacher" in some contexts, for example wǒ xiānsheng for "my husband". For a woman the matching title is nǚshì.
How do you pronounce it?
The second syllable of xiānsheng is said lightly and with no tone.
Did you know?
- The characters of xiānsheng mean "born earlier", an old way of respecting someone with more learning.
Examples in context
- Wáng xiānsheng, nín hǎo.Hello, Mr. Wang.
- Zhāng xiānsheng shì wǒ de lǎoshī.Mr. Zhang is my teacher.
- Xiānsheng, qǐng zuò.Sir, please take a seat.
Example conversation
A hotel receptionist, Yan, greets a guest named Mr. Chen.
- YanChén xiānsheng, huānyíng nín.Mr. Chen, welcome.
- Mr. ChenNǐ hǎo, wǒ yǒu yùdìng.Hello, I have a reservation.
- YanHǎo de, qǐng gěi wǒ nín de hùzhào.Of course, please give me your passport.
