Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar

talkiNG aBoUt CloCk time aNd CaleNdar time

49.2

49.2.1 years

49.2.1.1 Counting years and asking about the number of years
To count years, precede the word 年 nián ‘year’ by a number. No additional classifier occurs
between the number and the word for ‘year.’
one year 一年 yī nián
two years 两年/兩年 liǎng nián
three years 三年 sān nián
To ask how many years, say:

几年？/ 幾年？

jǐ nián?

how many years?

or

多少年？

duōshǎo nián?

how many years?

C28.6

49.2.1.2 referring to years

this year 今年 jīnnián

next year 明年 míngnián

two years from now 后年/後年 hòunián

three years from now 大后年/大後年 dà hòunián

four years from now 四年以后/四年以後 sì nián yǐhòu

last year 去年 qùnián

the year before last 前年 qiánnián

three years ago 大前年 dà qiánnián

four years ago 四年以前 sì nián yǐqián

49.2.1.3 reciting years
To recite a year, read the year as a series of single numbers followed by 年 nián:

2004 二零零四年 èr líng líng sì nián

1976 一九七六年 yī jiǔ qī liù nián

To indicate bc and ad, say:

公元 gōngyuán or 公历/公曆 gōnglì ‘ad’

公元前 gōngyuánqián or 前 qián ‘bc’

公元2002年

gōngyuán 2002 nián

2002 ad

公元前146年

gōngyuánqián 146 nián

146 bc

In Taiwan, years are counted from the founding of the Republic of China in 1911:

民国/民國47年 Mínguó 47 nián = 1958

民国/民國93年 Mínguó 93 nián = 2004