Lesson 4: Support & Community
Communication Goals
By the end of this chapter, learners will be able to:
- count into the thousands;
- give a date;
- say the days of the week;
- tell the time;
- express a duration;
- distinguish between today, yesterday and tomorrow;
- talk about the previous, current and following year.
Learning Sequence 1 — Numbers
- 一 yī
- 二 èr
- 三 sān
- 四 sì
- 五 wǔ
- 六 liù
- 七 qī
- 八 bā
- 九 jiǔ
- 十 shí
- 零 líng
- 百 bǎi
- 千 qiān
- 半 bàn
- 一半 yíbàn
Learning Sequence 2 — The Calendar
- 第 dì
- 年 nián
- 月 yuè
- 日 rì
- 号 hào
- 星期 xīngqī
- 星期日 xīngqīrì
- 星期天 xīngqītiān
Learning Sequence 3 — Time and Duration
- 点 diǎn
- 分 fēn
- 分钟 fēnzhōng
- 小时 xiǎoshí
- 时间 shíjiān
Learning Sequence 4 — Positioning Events in Time
- 今天 jīntiān
- 昨天 zuótiān
- 明天 míngtiān
- 今年 jīnnián
- 去年 qùnián
- 明年 míngnián
Language Focus
- Forming numbers: 二十, 三十五, 一百零八.
- Forming dates: 2026年7月17日.
- Forming the days of the week: 星期一 to 星期日.
- Telling the time: 三点, 三点半, 三点十分.
- Chinese date order: year + month + day.
- Using 第 to form ordinal numbers: 第一, 第二.
Character Spotlight
A few characters from this chapter, up close — how they’re built, how they’re written, and a chance to trace them yourself. (This is a test selection, not every word from this chapter.)
Look Inside the Characters
Many characters are built from smaller, recognizable parts. Press “Show me” to see the stroke order too.
明 — míng — bright; also in 明天 tomorrow, 明年 next year
Components: 日 (rì, sun) + 月 (yuè, moon)
星 — xīng — star; also in 星期 week
Components: 日 (rì, sun/day) + 生 (shēng, phonetic component)
期 — qī — period of time; also in 星期 week
Components: 其 (qí, phonetic component) + 月 (yuè, related to time)
间 — jiān — space, interval; also in 时间 time
Components: 门 (mén, door) + 日 (rì, sun)
Watch the Stroke Order
A few numbers, animated stroke by stroke.
一 — yī — one
二 — èr — two
三 — sān — three
十 — shí — ten
Try Drawing Them
Trace each character with your mouse or your finger, one stroke at a time.
年 — nián — year
月 — yuè — month; moon
日 — rì — day; sun
号 — hào — day of the month; number
Final Task
Complete a diary or calendar in Chinese and announce three appointments, including their dates and times.
Culture Corner — Lucky and Unlucky Numbers in China
In many Chinese-speaking contexts, certain numbers carry strong symbolic associations.
- 八 bā, eight, is considered fortunate because its pronunciation resembles 发 fā, which is associated with prosperity and success.
- 六 liù, six, is often connected with the idea that things will proceed smoothly.
- 九 jiǔ, nine, sounds similar to 久 jiǔ, meaning “a long time” or “long-lasting”.
- 四 sì, four, is sometimes avoided because its pronunciation resembles 死 sǐ, meaning “to die”.
Giving someone a clock can also be considered inappropriate. The expression 送钟 sòng zhōng, “to give a clock”, sounds similar to 送终 sòngzhōng, an expression connected with accompanying someone at the end of their life or attending to funeral arrangements.