Ordinal numbers with "di"

Also known as: 序数 (xùshù), ordinals and sequence numbers.

We use ordinal numbers to express things like "number one" or "second," so mastering them in Chinese is important. Fortunately, they are also very easy to learn by just adding the prefix 第 (dì).

Basic Usage

In English, there are four different suffixes for ordinal numbers: -st, -nd, -rd and -th. Chinese makes things a lot simpler by using one prefix for all ordinal numbers: 第 (dì). This character is simply placed in front of the number:

Structure

第 + Number

Examples

Chinese	English
第 一dì yī	The first
第 二dì èr	The second
第 三dì sān	The third
第 四dì sì	The fourth
第 五dì wǔ	The fifth
第 六dì liù	The sixth
第 七dì qī	The seventh
第 八dì bā	The eighth
第 九dì jiǔ	The ninth
第 十dì shí	The tenth

Full Pattern

You can also add in a measure word (MW) and a noun to make the structure a bit fuller.

Structure

第 + Number (+ Measure word + Noun)

Examples

• 我 是 第 一 个 到 公司 的 人。Wǒ shì dì yī gè dào gōngsī de rén. I'm the first person that came to the office.
• 他 要 坐 早上 第 一 班 地铁 去 上班。Tā yào zuò zǎoshang dì yī bān dìtiě qù shàngbān. He needs to take the first metro to go to work in the morning.
• 小李 是 她 的 第 三 个 男朋友。Xiǎo Lǐ shì tā de dì sān gè nánpéngyou. Little Li is her third boyfriend.
• 我 的 第 一 个中文 老师 是 美国 人。Wǒ de dì yī gè Zhōngwén lǎoshī shì Měiguó rén. My first Chinese teacher was American.
• 爸爸 的 第 一 个手机 是 NOKIA。Bàba de dì yī gè shǒujī shì NOKIA. Dad‘s first cell phone was a NOKIA.
• 你 的 第 一 个工作 是 什么？Nǐ de dì yī gè gōngzuò shì shénme? What was your first job?
• 到 美国 的 第 二个 月 我 开始 学 英文 了。Dào Měiguó de dì èr gè yuè wǒ kāishǐ xué yīngwén le. I started learning English the second month I was in America.
• 第 二 行 第 五 个 汉字 怎么 读？Dì èr háng dì wǔ gè hànzi zěnme dú? How do you read the fifth character from the second line?
• 这 次 考试，我 是 我们 班 第 一。Zhè cì kǎoshì, wǒ shì wǒmen bān dì yī. This time we tested, I was first in our class. (Meaning: I was the best in class)
• 这 次 比赛，我们 班 第 一，他们 班 第 二。Zhè cì bǐsài, wǒmen bān dì yī, tāmen bān dì èr. In this contest, our class is the first, their class is the second. (Meaning: We are the best, they are the second best).

Note that there are some words that don't use measure words because they themselves are already measure words. For example: 天 (tiān), 年 (nián), 周 (zhōu), 次 (cì) etc.

• 第 一 天，我们 在 宾馆 里。Dì yī tiān, wǒmen zài bīnguǎn lǐ. On the first day, we will be in the hotel.
• 来 上海 以后 的 第 二 年，他 开 了 这 家 公司。Lái Shànghǎi yǐhòu de dì èr nián, tā kāi le zhè jiā gōngsī. He started this company the second year after coming to Shanghai.
• 下 个 月 的 第 一 周 老板 要 出差。Xià gè yuè de dì yī zhōu , lǎobǎn yào chūchāi. The boss needs to go on a business trip the first week of next month.
• 这 是 我 第 一 次 去 北京。Zhè shì wǒ dì yī cì qù Běijīng. This is my first time going to Beijing.

Exceptions

Note that some nouns can form ordinals without 第 (dì). With these, the number can be used directly. For example, 七楼 (qī lóu) is "the seventh floor," even though there is no 第 (dì).

Chinese	English	Example
楼lóu	floor (of a building)	七楼qī lóu seventh floor
层céng	floor (of a building)	一层yī céng first floor

See also

• Measure words for counting

Sources and further reading

• A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法) (pp. 58-73) →buy
• Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 17-8) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (p. 183) →buy