第 dì
“(prefix indicating ordinal number, as in 六 "sixth"); (literary) grades in which successful candidates in the imperial examinations were placed; (old) residence of a high official”
numeral2021 list level 1
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
第 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 32: 第 dì — Level 1; official annotation 1 (前缀). PDF page 80
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 第
第 (dì) is a prefix that makes ordinal numbers: 第一 first, 第三 third, 第十 the tenth. It must be followed by a number (or a numeral phrase) and normally takes the classifier after that number: 第一个, 第三次. It is not used alone as an adverb or conjunction in everyday HSK 1 usage.
例句Example sentences
- 今天是我第一天上班。jīn tiān shì wǒ dì yī tiān shàng bān.Today is my first day at work.
- 他跑得很快，得了第一名。tā pǎo de hěn kuài, de le dì yī míng.He ran very fast and got first place.
- 这是我第三次来中国。zhè shì wǒ dì sān cì lái zhōng guó.This is my third time coming to China.
常见错误Common mistakes
-
✗这是我的第书。
✓这是我的第一本书。
第 must be followed by a numeral (here 一) before the classifier and noun.
易混词Easily confused
第vs初
第 forms ordinals with numbers (第一, 第二) for any item in a sequence; 初 is not a general ordinal prefix. It mainly appears in 初一/初二/初三 for the first three years of middle school, or for the first days of a lunar month, and in expressions like 五月初五.