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.'

Wáng xiānsheng, nǐ hǎo.

Hello, Mr. Wang.

Tā xiānsheng shì yīshēng.

Her husband is a doctor.

usage

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