Answer: D
In Chinese, “Sunday” is “星期日(xīngqīrì)”, “星期天(xīngqītiān)”. You can also call it “礼拜天(lǐbàitiān)” or “礼拜日(lǐbàirì)”, but not “星期七(xīngqīqī)”. Here’s a tip to help you remember: In Christianity and Judaism, it is said that the weekdays from “星期一(xīngqīyī) Monday” to “星期六(xīngqīliù) Saturday” are six workdays during which the God created the world and he rested in the seventh day. The days he worked are represented by numerals, but not the day of rest. So, since Sunday was not a workday, it can not be called “星期七(xīngqīqī)” even though “七(qī)” means “seven” in Chinese.
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In Judaism the week starts on Sunday (xingqitian) and ends Saturday (xingqiliu). It is based on the Old Testament where it is said that God started the creation on the first day (yom rishon – Sunday) and finished on the sixth day (yom shishi – Friday) and rested on the seventh (Shabat – xingqiliu). For this reason on Saturday Jews are not allowed to do any work.
Hi Micha,
Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Interesting. But is this the explanation to why there’s no such word as 星期七 in Mandarin? I want to know the reason behind such numbering of days. It can be inferred in the article above that the explanation is not necessarily factual, taking from how the explanation was presented: “Here’s a tip to help you remember…” So, it’s only a tip, an analogy, but not necessarily the analysis behind it, right? Can someone enlighten me on this, please? Thank you.
Thank you for your advice. Actually, there are many different kinds of explanation for that, the explanation in this article is the most general one, and people can understand it easily.
How do I improve my communication? I find myself stuck oftently. I like your highlights.
Hello Nduta, to improve communication, I suggest you learn more Chinese daily expressions and speak more with native Chinese in your daily life, and maybe you can sigh up for a free trial and ask our professional teachers for some advice by clicking https://www.echineselearning.com/free-trial/.