📅 日期与日程 (rì qī yǔ rì chéng) - Dates and Daily Schedules
Master asking and telling dates, days of the week, and talking about daily activities and schedules in Chinese
Chinese lesson from Wednesday, June 11, 2025
📚 Part A - Essential Learning
Master time expressions and daily schedules. This section covers everything you need for talking about dates, days of the week, and daily activities.
Perfect for beginners and essential concepts
📚 Key Phrase: 请问今天几号？ (qǐng wèn jīn tiān jǐ hào?)
📖
Grammar Focus
📅 Asking for Dates: 几号 (jǐ hào)
几号 is used to ask 'what date' or 'which number date'. Essential for daily communication!
几号 is used to ask 'what date' or 'which number date'. Essential for daily communication!
Date question patterns:
• 今天几号？(jīn tiān jǐ hào?) - What date is today?
• 几月几号？(jǐ yuè jǐ hào?) - What month and date?
• 今天几月几号周几？(jīn tiān jǐ yuè jǐ hào zhōu jǐ?) - What month, date, and day is today?
• 你的生日是几月几号？(nǐ de shēng rì shì jǐ yuè jǐ hào?) - What month and date is your birthday?
• 今天几号？(jīn tiān jǐ hào?) - What date is today?
• 几月几号？(jǐ yuè jǐ hào?) - What month and date?
• 今天几月几号周几？(jīn tiān jǐ yuè jǐ hào zhōu jǐ?) - What month, date, and day is today?
• 你的生日是几月几号？(nǐ de shēng rì shì jǐ yuè jǐ hào?) - What month and date is your birthday?
请问今天几号？
qǐng wèn jīn tiān jǐ hào?
Excuse me, what date is today?
📆 Days of the Week: 周几 vs 星期几
Chinese has two ways to ask about days of the week: 周几 (zhōu jǐ) and 星期几 (xīng qī jǐ). Both are correct!
Chinese has two ways to ask about days of the week: 周几 (zhōu jǐ) and 星期几 (xīng qī jǐ). Both are correct!
Days of the week:
• 周一/星期一 (zhōu yī/xīng qī yī) - Monday
• 周二/星期二 (zhōu èr/xīng qī èr) - Tuesday
• 周三/星期三 (zhōu sān/xīng qī sān) - Wednesday
• 周四/星期四 (zhōu sì/xīng qī sì) - Thursday
• 周五/星期五 (zhōu wǔ/xīng qī wǔ) - Friday
• 周六/星期六 (zhōu liù/xīng qī liù) - Saturday
• 周日/星期日/星期天 (zhōu rì/xīng qī rì/xīng qī tiān) - Sunday
• 周一/星期一 (zhōu yī/xīng qī yī) - Monday
• 周二/星期二 (zhōu èr/xīng qī èr) - Tuesday
• 周三/星期三 (zhōu sān/xīng qī sān) - Wednesday
• 周四/星期四 (zhōu sì/xīng qī sì) - Thursday
• 周五/星期五 (zhōu wǔ/xīng qī wǔ) - Friday
• 周六/星期六 (zhōu liù/xīng qī liù) - Saturday
• 周日/星期日/星期天 (zhōu rì/xīng qī rì/xīng qī tiān) - Sunday
今天周三
jīn tiān zhōu sān
Today is Wednesday
⏰ Time Expressions: 昨天, 今天, 明天
Essential temporal markers for talking about past, present, and future!
Essential temporal markers for talking about past, present, and future!
Time expressions:
• 昨天 (zuó tiān) - yesterday
• 今天 (jīn tiān) - today
• 明天 (míng tiān) - tomorrow
• 前天 (qián tiān) - day before yesterday
• 后天 (hòu tiān) - day after tomorrow
• 昨天 (zuó tiān) - yesterday
• 今天 (jīn tiān) - today
• 明天 (míng tiān) - tomorrow
• 前天 (qián tiān) - day before yesterday
• 后天 (hòu tiān) - day after tomorrow
昨天是六月十号星期二
zuó tiān shì liù yuè shí hào xīng qī èr
Yesterday was June 10th, Tuesday
🎯 Purpose Questions: 做什么 (zuò shén me)
做什么 asks 'what to do' or 'what are you doing'. Very useful for daily activities!
做什么 asks 'what to do' or 'what are you doing'. Very useful for daily activities!
Purpose patterns:
• 你去 + Place + 做什么？(nǐ qù + Place + zuò shén me?) - What do you go to [place] to do?
• 你在 + Place + 做什么？(nǐ zài + Place + zuò shén me?) - What are you doing at [place]?
• 今天做什么？(jīn tiān zuò shén me?) - What are you doing today?
• 明天做什么？(míng tiān zuò shén me?) - What are you doing tomorrow?
• 你去 + Place + 做什么？(nǐ qù + Place + zuò shén me?) - What do you go to [place] to do?
• 你在 + Place + 做什么？(nǐ zài + Place + zuò shén me?) - What are you doing at [place]?
• 今天做什么？(jīn tiān zuò shén me?) - What are you doing today?
• 明天做什么？(míng tiān zuò shén me?) - What are you doing tomorrow?
你去学校做什么？
nǐ qù xué xiào zuò shén me?
What do you go to school to do?
请问今天几号？
qǐng wèn jīn tiān jǐ hào?
Excuse me, what date is today?
Disculpe, ¿qué fecha es hoy?
词汇 Vocabulary Practice
Practice writing the phrases from today's Chinese lesson!
请问今天几号？
qǐng wèn jīn tiān jǐ hào?
English:
Excuse me, what date is today?
Español:
Disculpe, ¿qué fecha es hoy?
今天六月十一号
jīn tiān liù yuè shí yī hào
English:
Today is June 11th
Español:
Hoy es 11 de junio
请问，今天周几？
qǐng wèn, jīn tiān zhōu jǐ?
English:
Excuse me, what day of the week is today?
Español:
Disculpe, ¿qué día de la semana es hoy?
今天周三
jīn tiān zhōu sān
English:
Today is Wednesday
Español:
Hoy es miércoles
昨天是六月十号星期二
zuó tiān shì liù yuè shí hào xīng qī èr
English:
Yesterday was June 10th, Tuesday
Español:
Ayer fue 10 de junio, martes
明天呢？
míng tiān ne?
English:
What about tomorrow?
Español:
¿Y mañana?
明天是周四
míng tiān shì zhōu sì
English:
Tomorrow is Thursday
Español:
Mañana es jueves
明天是六月十二号周四
míng tiān shì liù yuè shí èr hào zhōu sì
English:
Tomorrow is June 12th, Thursday
Español:
Mañana es 12 de junio, jueves
你去学校做什么？
nǐ qù xué xiào zuò shén me?
English:
What do you go to school to do?
Español:
¿Qué vas a hacer a la escuela?
你去公司做什么？
nǐ qù gōng sī zuò shén me?
English:
What do you go to the company to do?
Español:
¿Qué vas a hacer a la empresa?
是的，我去工作！
shì de, wǒ qù gōng zuò!
English:
Yes, I go to work!
Español:
¡Sí, voy a trabajar!
今天几月几号周几？
jīn tiān jǐ yuè jǐ hào zhōu jǐ?
English:
What month, date, and day of the week is today?
Español:
¿Qué mes, fecha y día de la semana es hoy?
今天几月？
jīn tiān jǐ yuè?
English:
What month is today?
Español:
¿Qué mes es hoy?
今天六月
jīn tiān liù yuè
English:
Today is June
Español:
Hoy es junio
这个周末你做什么？
zhè ge zhōu mò nǐ zuò shén me?
English:
What do you do this weekend?
Español:
¿Qué haces este fin de semana?
下周一我上班
xià zhōu yī wǒ shàng bān
English:
Next Monday I go to work
Español:
El próximo lunes voy a trabajar
上个月是五月
shàng ge yuè shì wǔ yuè
English:
Last month was May
Español:
El mes pasado fue mayo
下个月是七月
xià ge yuè shì qī yuè
English:
Next month is July
Español:
El próximo mes es julio
星期天我休息
xīng qī tiān wǒ xiū xi
English:
I rest on Sunday
Español:
Descanso el domingo
工作日很忙
gōng zuò rì hěn máng
English:
Weekdays are very busy
Español:
Los días laborales están muy ocupados
文化 Cultural Insights
📅 Chinese date and time culture has some interesting aspects! Chinese people often use both 周 (zhōu) and 星期 (xīng qī) for days of the week - 周 is more casual and modern, while 星期 is more formal. The Chinese work week traditionally runs Monday to Friday with Saturday sometimes being a half-day. Many students and workers have very structured schedules, and being punctual is highly valued. The phrase 请问 shows the importance of politeness in Chinese culture - even simple questions are often prefaced with this courtesy marker. Chinese calendars also include lunar calendar dates for traditional festivals, so you might see both solar and lunar dates on calendars!
🎯 Part B - Advanced Practice
Ready to master dates and schedules? This section includes practical reading about weekly planning, cultural insights into Chinese time concepts, and hands-on practice with date expressions and daily activity vocabulary.
For students ready to dive deeper
📖 Reading Practice
📅 小王的一周安排 - Xiao Wang's Weekly Schedule
小王是一个大学生，他的一周安排很忙。
今天是周三，六月十一号。
他去学校上课，还要去图书馆学习。
昨天是周二，他去公司实习。
"请问，明天几号？"他问同学。
"明天是六月十二号周四，"同学回答。
"明天你做什么？"同学问。
"明天我去公司工作，下午回学校。"
"这个周末呢？"同学继续问。
"周六休息，周日和家人吃饭！"
📝 Vocabulary from this reading:
安排
ān pái
Arrangement, schedule
上课
shàng kè
Attend class
图书馆
tú shū guǎn
Library
实习
shí xí
Internship
同学
tóng xué
Classmate
回答
huí dá
Answer, reply
继续
jì xù
Continue
家人
jiā rén
Family members
📚 Additional Learning Content
🗓️ Month Names in Chinese
Chinese months are simply numbers + 月. Very logical system!
Chinese months are simply numbers + 月. Very logical system!
All 12 months:
• 一月 (yī yuè) - January
• 二月 (èr yuè) - February
• 三月 (sān yuè) - March
• 四月 (sì yuè) - April
• 五月 (wǔ yuè) - May
• 六月 (liù yuè) - June
• 七月 (qī yuè) - July
• 八月 (bā yuè) - August
• 九月 (jiǔ yuè) - September
• 十月 (shí yuè) - October
• 十一月 (shí yī yuè) - November
• 十二月 (shí èr yuè) - December
• 一月 (yī yuè) - January
• 二月 (èr yuè) - February
• 三月 (sān yuè) - March
• 四月 (sì yuè) - April
• 五月 (wǔ yuè) - May
• 六月 (liù yuè) - June
• 七月 (qī yuè) - July
• 八月 (bā yuè) - August
• 九月 (jiǔ yuè) - September
• 十月 (shí yuè) - October
• 十一月 (shí yī yuè) - November
• 十二月 (shí èr yuè) - December
⏰ Time Periods and Scheduling
Essential vocabulary for planning and discussing schedules.
Essential vocabulary for planning and discussing schedules.
Schedule vocabulary:
• 早上 (zǎo shang) - morning
• 上午 (shàng wǔ) - morning (formal)
• 中午 (zhōng wǔ) - noon
• 下午 (xià wǔ) - afternoon
• 晚上 (wǎn shang) - evening
• 夜里 (yè li) - night
• 半夜 (bàn yè) - midnight
• 早上 (zǎo shang) - morning
• 上午 (shàng wǔ) - morning (formal)
• 中午 (zhōng wǔ) - noon
• 下午 (xià wǔ) - afternoon
• 晚上 (wǎn shang) - evening
• 夜里 (yè li) - night
• 半夜 (bàn yè) - midnight
📋 Weekly Schedule Expressions
Talk about your weekly routine and commitments like a native speaker.
Talk about your weekly routine and commitments like a native speaker.
Weekly expressions:
• 每天 (měi tiān) - every day
• 每周 (měi zhōu) - every week
• 平时 (píng shí) - usually
• 有时候 (yǒu shí hou) - sometimes
• 经常 (jīng cháng) - often
• 很少 (hěn shǎo) - rarely
• 每天 (měi tiān) - every day
• 每周 (měi zhōu) - every week
• 平时 (píng shí) - usually
• 有时候 (yǒu shí hou) - sometimes
• 经常 (jīng cháng) - often
• 很少 (hěn shǎo) - rarely
作业 Homework & Practice
📝 Homework for next class:
1. 📅 Date Practice: Write today's date in 5 different Chinese formats
2. 🗓️ Weekly Schedule: Create your weekly schedule using Chinese days and activities
3. ❓ Question Practice: Ask 8 different date/time questions using 几号 (jǐ hào), 周几 (zhōu jǐ), 做什么 (zuò shén me)
4. ⏰ Time Expressions: Use 昨天 (zuó tiān), 今天 (jīn tiān), 明天 (míng tiān) in 6 complete sentences about your activities
5. 🏢 Activities: Describe what you do at different places (学校 (xué xiào), 公司 (gōng sī), 家 (jiā)) using 做什么 (zuò shén me)
💡 Real-life Challenge: Ask 3 Chinese speakers about their weekly schedule using phrases from today's class!
Practice Checklist:
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