Big-to-small order in Chinese
Chinese often puts information in big-to-small order. This means the larger unit comes first, and the smaller unit comes later.
| Type | Chinese order |
|---|---|
| Dates | year → month → day |
| Addresses | country / city → district → road → number |
This is different from English, where dates and addresses often start with smaller units.
1. Dates: year, month, day
Chinese dates usually go from the largest unit to the smallest unit: 年 ♬, 月 ♬, then 日 ♬ or 號 ♬.
| Chinese order | English meaning |
|---|---|
| 年 ♬ → 月 → 日 | year → month → day |
| 年 ♬ → 月 → 號 | year → month → date |
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 二〇二六年五月二十三日 ♬ | May 23, 2026 |
| 二〇二七年一月八號 ♬ | January 8, 2027 |
日 is more formal. 號 is common in daily speech.
2. Weekday comes after the date
If you add a weekday, it usually comes after the full date.
| Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Year + Month + Day + Weekday | date first, then weekday |
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 二〇二六年五月二十三日星期六 ♬ | Saturday, May 23, 2026 |
| 二〇二七年一月八號星期五 ♬ | Friday, January 8, 2027 |
The weekday is added after the date because the date is the main time information.
3. Addresses: larger place to smaller place
Chinese addresses also use big-to-small order. Start with the larger area, then move toward the exact place.
| Chinese order | English meaning |
|---|---|
| 城市 ♬ → 區 → 路 → 號 | city → district → road → number |
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 台北市大安區和平東路十五號 ♬ | No. 15, Heping East Road, Da’an District, Taipei City |
| 高雄市鹽埕區河西路二十號 ♬ | No. 20, Hexi Road, Yancheng District, Kaohsiung City |
In English, the street number often comes first. In Chinese, 號 usually comes near the end.
4. Add floor or room after the number
If you need to add a floor or room, put it after the street number. These are smaller details.
| Word | Basic meaning |
|---|---|
| 樓 ♬ | floor |
| 室 ♬ | room |
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 台中市西區民生路九號三樓 ♬ | 3F, No. 9, Minsheng Road, West District, Taichung City |
| 台南市中西區府前路六號二〇一室 ♬ | Room 201, No. 6, Fuqian Road, West Central District, Tainan City |
The order still moves from larger location to smaller location.
5. Big-to-small order helps structure information
This order is not only for dates and addresses. It reflects a common Chinese way to organize information: start with the larger frame, then give the smaller detail.
| Chinese | English | Order |
|---|---|---|
| 二〇二六年五月二十三日 ♬ | May 23, 2026 | year → month → day |
| 台北市大安區和平東路十五號 ♬ | No. 15, Heping East Road, Da’an District, Taipei City | city → district → road → number |
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