先生

xiānsheng

noun HSK 1 #93

Meanings

Literally 'born first' - someone born before you, hence a term of respect for elders or educated people. Originally meant 'teacher.'

HSK 1

她先生是医生。

Tā xiānsheng shì yīshēng.

Her husband is a doctor.

HSK 3

王先生，你好。

Wáng xiānsheng, nǐhǎo.

Hello, Mr. Wang.

HSK 3

这位先生想买一件衬衫。

Zhè wèi xiānsheng xiǎng mǎi yí jiàn chènshān.

This gentleman wants to buy a shirt.

usage

先生 meaning 'husband' is more common in Taiwan and formal mainland usage. In casual mainland speech, 老公 is more common for 'husband.'

history

Historically, 先生 was a respectful title for scholars and teachers. Some famous figures are still referred to this way: 鲁迅先生 (Mr. Lu Xun).

先 xiān

生 shēng