xiān
sheng
(Mandarin)
(Cantonese)

HSK 1

Dictionary

teacher/gentleman; sir; mister (Mr.)/husband/(dialect) doctor

Measure word: 位[wèi]

Examples

这位先生,请问您需要帮助吗?

Zhè wèi xiān sheng, qǐng wèn nín xū yào bāng zhù ma?

Sir, may I help you?

王先生是我的老师,他教了我很多知识。

Wáng xiān sheng shì wǒ de lǎo shī, tā jiāo le wǒ hěn duō zhī shi.

Mr. Wang is my teacher; he taught me a lot.

她先生是个医生,工作很忙。

Tā xiān sheng shì gè yī shēng, gōng zuò hěn máng.

Her husband is a doctor and is very busy with work.

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Word Formation

先 means 'first/earlier' and 生 means 'born/life', originally meaning 'teacher'.

Usage Tips

先生 is formal for 'Mr.' or 'husband' in polite contexts; use 老公 for casual 'husband'.