先生

先生 (xiānsheng) is the polite Chinese term for an adult man, equivalent to English 'Mr.' or 'sir.' It appears in three main contexts: (1) Address — calling out to a stranger: 先生，请问… ('Sir, may I ask…'); (2) Title with a surname — 王先生 (Mr. Wang); (3) Husband — 我先生 ('my husband'), a polite way for women to refer to their spouse. Literally 'first born' / 'one born earlier,' the term originally meant 'teacher / scholar' and still carries respectful undertones. The second syllable is neutral tone (xiānsheng, not xiānshēng). It pairs with 太太 (tàitai, 'Mrs.' / 'wife') and 女士 (nǚshì, 'Ms.' / 'lady') in formal settings.

Note: 先生 is polite and slightly formal — used to address adult men you don't know, or to refer to one's own husband. With younger men or close acquaintances, native speakers usually use a name + 哥 (gē) or just the given name instead.

Memory hook: Literally 'first born' — originally a respectful term for an elder or teacher, now broadened to any adult man.