The basic order for expressing dates in Chinese is Year, Month, Day. In a full date, the numbers are followed by the characters for Year, Month, and Day to indicate the units. For example, '2024年6月5日' is the standard form. In speech, the year can be omitted, but the order remains the same.

Numbers in dates are usually read using Chinese cardinal numbers. The numbers 1–10 have standalone words, while 11 and above are formed with the character for 'ten'. The forms for twenty, twenty-one, etc., correspond directly to their written and spoken forms in dates.

In Chinese, months are formed by a number plus 'month', from January to December: 'January', 'February', 'March', ..., 'December'. The structure is the same for every month, with no need to memorize special forms.

In Chinese, days of the week are usually expressed as 'Weekday' with a number, typically 'Monday' to 'Sunday' ('星期日' or '星期天'). '星期天' and '星期日' can both refer to the last day of the week; in writing, '星期日' is more common.

When saying a full date, say the year first, then the month, then the day, and you may optionally add the weekday at the end. Common structure is 'XXXX年X月X日 (星期X)'. In everyday life, you can also omit parts and say only 'X月X日' or '星期X' as needed.

Common phrases to ask about the date include 'What is today's date?', 'What day of the week is today?', and 'What month is it now?'. In responses, you typically provide direct information, such as 'Today is the 5th' or 'Today is Wednesday.'

Common time units related to dates are 'Year', 'Month', 'Day', 'Date', and 'Week'. 'Day' and 'Date' can both denote a specific day in casual speech; in formal settings, 'Date' is more common.

When looking at a calendar, common terms include 'This week', 'Next week', 'This month', 'Next month' to locate time. 'This week' refers to the current week; 'next week' refers to the following week. Starting from Monday is usually clearer.

In Chinese, the Gregorian calendar is used for daily affairs, and holidays are usually marked with Gregorian dates. Traditional festivals like Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn are typically calculated using the lunar calendar, but in everyday conversation Gregorian dates can still be used.

In Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong & Macau, date order is largely the same, but some terms differ. For example, '星期天' and '礼拜天' are used differently in different regions. In formal writing, Arabic numerals plus 'Year', 'Month', 'Day' are used.