Beginner Lesson 17.1 – This and That
Measure Word 位 In Chinese | This And That In Chinese
In this video lesson we'll learn how to say this and that in Chinese. We'll be able to use Measure Word 位 in Chinese and address people with Mr. and Miss in Chinese.
VOCABULARY
GRAMMAR
Grammar 1: This and That in Chinese · HSK 1
zhè 这 this | nà 那 that
When introducing someone or something, we can use 这 and 那 to refer to them. Here are some example sentences of using 这 and 那 to express this and that in Chinese:
- zhè shì yí wèi xiānsheng
这是一位先生
this is a gentleman - nàshì yí wèi xiǎojiě
那是一位小姐
that is a young lady
Grammar 2: Measure Word 位 in Chinese · HSK 3
wèi 位 a polite Measure Word for people
We've already learned that 个 is the general Measure Word in Chinese. But sometimes if you want to be polite and respectful, we use Measure Word 位 to address people. For example:
| PINYIN | CHINESE | ENGLISH |
| yíwèi lǎoshī | 一 ① 位老师 | one teacher |
| yíwèi Zhōngguórén | 一位中国人 | one Chinese person |
| yíwèi xiānsheng | 一位先生 | one gentleman |
| yíwèi xiǎojiě | 一位小姐 | one young lady |
NOTES:
① The number word 一 can be pronounced in three different ways: yī, yí and yì because of its tone change rule.
However, we do not use 位 for our own family members. For example, to say "I have two big brothers", here's what we say and what we don't say:
- wǒ yǒu liǎngge gēge
我有两个哥哥。 wǒ yǒu liǎngwèi gēge
我有两位哥哥。
But it is okay to introduce our own family members with 位, for example (See Grammar 2 of Lesson 18.1):
- zhèwèi shì wǒde bàba
这位是我的爸爸。
this is my dad
Grammar 3: Mr. and Miss in Chinese· HSK 1
In English when addressing Mr. Li or Miss Wang., the last name goes after Mr. or Miss, but in Chinese, the last name goes before the word 先生 or 小姐, like this:
Last Name + 先生 / 小姐
For example:
- Lǐ Xiānsheng
李先生
Mr. Li - Wáng Xiǎojiě
王小姐
Miss Wang
In Lesson 16.2 quiz question 5, there was the sentence 我们有四个老师. In view of this lesson now, and the polite measure word 位, should we replace 个 with 位, and say 我们有四位老师?
It is correct to use both, but the expression with 位 is more polite.
My language partner told me that 小姐 used on its own now means prostitute and that it shouldn’t be used unless paired with a name (like 李小姐). I looked it up in a few dictionaries and found that some of them even note this meaning. Can you provide clarification as to whether 小姐 is even appropriate to use now and, if not, what should be used instead?
This is a commonly asked question.
We would say that what really matters is the context, for example,
朋友：他是網先生吗？
我：不，他是裏先生。
朋友：她是裏先生吗？
我：不，他是網小姐。
In the examples above 位 is placed both before 是 and after 是。what is the rule here?
Examples:
这位是我的爸爸。
这是一位先生。
Please refer to the grammar rule of Measure Words in Chinese (I), (II) and (III).
Here’s a quick link for Measure Words in Chinese (I).
What’s an example of a situation when you would use the polite measure word “wèi”?