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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing a date in Chinese

    Sequence & Order
    Time Expressions

    Structure

    (Year + 年) + Month + 月 + Day + 日/号

    Explanation

    In Chinese, dates are expressed in the order of year, month, then day, using 年 (year), 月 (month), and 日 or 号 (day). For example, 五月初五 refers to the fifth day of the fifth month in the lunar calendar. This ordering from largest to smallest unit is consistent throughout Chinese date expressions.

    Examples

    • 我的生日是十二月二十五日。

      Wǒ de shēngrì shì shí'èr yuè èrshíwǔ rì.

      My birthday is December 25th.

    • 端午节在农历五月初五。

      Duānwǔ jié zài nónglì wǔ yuè chū wǔ.

      The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar.

    • 他们打算二零二七年三月十号结婚。

      Tāmen dǎsuàn èr líng èr qī nián sān yuè shí hào jiéhūn.

      They plan to get married on March 10th, 2027.

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    Expressing a date in Chinese | Chinese Grammar