# Chinese ordinal numbers: 第 + number | HSKReady Canonical: https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-1-number-expressions-g068 Language: en Content ID: web-grammar-hsk-1-g068 HSK levels: 1 Updated: 2026-10-23T04:55:24.958Z Scope: published website educational content; full vocabulary, question bank and mock exams remain in the app. Learn how 第 turns a Chinese number into an ordinal, where it appears, and how to distinguish it from a plain number. Grammar [HSK 1 · Special expressions › Number expressions](https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-1#hsk-1-g068) # Ordinal numbers with 第 Use 第 (dì) before a number to mark an ordinal such as “first,” “second,” or “third.” It identifies an item’s position in an ordered sequence, and it usually appears directly before the number. The item being counted may follow, often with a measure word when the noun phrase calls for one. 第 number Example sentence 我的房间在第一层。 Wǒ de fángjiān zài dì yī céng. My room is on the first level. 第一层 names the first level in the building’s sequence. 第 is directly before 一. **Read the full explanation and examples** ## What 第 means The outline point for this lesson is the level 1 expression 第 + number for making ordinals. In English, an ordinal tells position in a sequence: first, second, third, and so on. In Chinese, 第 (dì) comes before the number. The number says which position; 第 marks that number as an ordinal. This lesson focuses on that expression and does not cover the neighboring outline point on expressing money amounts. 我的房间在第一层。 Wǒ de fángjiān zài dì yī céng. My room is on the first level. 第一层 names the first level in the building’s sequence. 第 is directly before 一. 第一层 means the first level in the relevant building or ordered set of levels. In the room example, that ordinal phrase tells where the room is. ## How to form an ordinal The basic pattern is 第 + number. Put 第 immediately before the number. If you name the thing in that position, continue with the relevant noun. A measure word may appear between the ordinal number and the noun when the phrase uses one. It is not part of the ordinal marker itself. 第 number - 第 + number: mark the number as a position in a sequence. - 第 + number + noun: identify the item at that position. - With a measure word: 第 + number + measure word + noun, as in 第二个问题, “the second question.” 请看第二个问题。 Qǐng kàn dì èr ge wèntí. Please look at the second question. 第二 identifies the position; 个 remains the classifier for 问题. In 第二个问题, 个 follows the ordinal and classifies 问题. Use 二 in the ordinary ordinal 第二, not 两: 第二个人. 第 does not replace a classifier that the noun phrase needs. ## Use ordinals for ordered positions Use this pattern when the situation already provides, or clearly implies, an order: floors in a building, questions on a list, days in a schedule, or people ranked in a line. The noun and situation tell the listener what set is being ordered. 第 does not say how many items there are; it says which position an item occupies. 今天是第三天。 Jīntiān shì dì sān tiān. Today is the third day. A trip, course or other period provides the sequence. 三天 without 第 would describe a duration of three days instead. This can mean “the third day,” for example, when describing a stay or a planned schedule. The context supplies the sequence. 他是第四个人。 Tā shì dì sì ge rén. He is the fourth person. In an ordered line or list, 第四个人 identifies one person by position. It does not count a group of four. This means “the fourth person.” The expression identifies a position among people being counted in an order; it does not by itself say that the person is ranked fourth by merit. ## Ordinal position versus quantity 第四个人 identifies one person by ordinal position; 四个人 counts four people. In this pair, adding 第 changes quantity into explicit order. Some conventional labels work differently: 一楼 can name the first storey without 第, and 三班 can be a class label. Do not add 第 mechanically to every numbered name. For the explicit ordinal pattern taught here, ask “which position?” and use 第 + number. For an ordinary quantity such as three people, use 三个人. Learn familiar labels such as 一楼 as whole expressions in their own context. ## A practical way to use the pattern First identify the sequence: floors, questions, days, or people. Then put 第 directly before the number that names the position. Add the noun after it, including a measure word when the noun phrase requires one. Finally, check your intended meaning: 第 marks a position, while a plain number gives a quantity. The choice and wording of the noun phrase depend on the situation. ## Frequently asked questions **Does 第 mean “how many”?** No. 第 marks an ordinal position, such as “third.” A plain number gives a quantity, such as “three people.” **Does 第 replace the measure word?** No. 第 comes before the number. A measure word may still appear after the number and before the noun when the noun phrase uses one, as in 第二个问题. **Must the sequence be a ranking?** No. It can be any clear order, such as floors in a building or days in a schedule. The expression itself does not say that one person or item is better than another. **Source**[hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com · PDF page 388](https://hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com/3.0/%E6%96%B0%E7%89%88HSK%E8%80%83%E8%AF%95%E5%A4%A7%E7%BA%B21219.pdf#page=388) ## Continue in the app Full mock exams are available in HSKReady. 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