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

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.

HSK 4

王先生，你好。

Wáng xiānsheng, nǐhǎo.

Hello, Mr. Wang.

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