How to pronounce xian sheng (先生) in Chinese

Hear 先生 (xiān sheng) spoken, see what it means, then record yourself for instant AI feedback on your pronunciation.

先生

xiān sheng

Characters & meanings

先
xiānT1

early; prior

生
shengT0

to be born; life; raw

Common mistake

High + neutral (1-0): hold xiān level, then let sheng fall off short. Compare 医生 yīshēng, where 生 keeps its full first tone.

Tone change in this word

生 reads neutral in 先生 (and 学生), unlike its full shēng in 医生.

Example sentence

王先生在家吗？

Wáng xiānsheng zài jiā ma?

Is Mr. Wang at home?

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Related sounds

学生xué sheng医生yī shēng生日shēng rì

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Pinyin Chart →Pinyin syllables →HSK →Blog →

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