时 shí time
time; when; while
How to remember 时: 日 sun + 寸 inch = time. The impatient boy on the beach watches the sun sink inch by inch and asks "Is it time for ice cream yet?"
Component breakdown
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
时 = 日 sun + 寸 inch
- 日 sun meaning
- 寸 inch sound
The impatient boy on the beach watches the sun sink inch by inch and asks "Is it time for ice cream yet?"
How it came to be
The sun gives the meaning and the right part the sound; the short shape comes from quick cursive writing.
How it is used
- Time / when: 时间 (shíjiān) time, 小时 (xiǎoshí) an hour, 时候 (shíhou) a moment or point in time.
- As a suffix it means when / while: 有时 (yǒushí) sometimes, 同时 (tóngshí) at the same time, …的时候 while.
Words with 时
- 时间shíjiāntimeHSK 1
- 小时xiǎoshíhourHSK 1
- 时候shíhoutimeHSK 1
- 小时候xiǎoshíhouin one's childhoodHSK 2
- 有时yǒushísometimesHSK 2
- 平时píngshíusuallyHSK 3
- 当时dāngshíthenHSK 4
- 同时tóngshíat the same timeHSK 4
- 暂时zànshítemporaryHSK 4
- 及时jíshítimelyHSK 4
- 准时zhǔnshípunctuallyHSK 4
- 按时ànshíon timeHSK 4
- 时间表shíjiānbiǎoscheduleHSK 4
- 临时línshías the time draws nearHSK 5
- 时代shídàieraHSK 5
- 时刻shíkètimeHSK 5
- 时差shíchātime differenceHSK 5
- 时常shíchángoftenHSK 5
- 时期shíqīperiodHSK 5
- 此时cǐshínowHSK 5
- 随时suíshíat any timeHSK 5
- 一时yìshía period of timeHSK 6
- 不时bùshífrom time to timeHSK 6
- 定时dìngshíto fix a timeHSK 6
- 实时shíshíreal timeHSK 6
- 时光shíguāngtimeHSK 6
- 时尚shíshàngfashionHSK 6
- 时机shíjīopportunityHSK 6
- 时速shísùspeed per hourHSK 6
- 过时guòshíold-fashionedHSK 6
- 顿时dùnshíimmediatelyHSK 6
- 倒计时dàojìshíto count downHSK 7
- 即时jíshíimmediateHSK 7
- 历时lìshíto lastHSK 7
- 时事shíshìcurrent trendsHSK 7
- 时好时坏shíhǎo-shíhuàisometimes good, sometimes badHSK 7
- 时时shíshíoftenHSK 7
- 时段shíduàntime intervalHSK 7
- 时空shíkōngtime and placeHSK 7
- 时而shí’éroccasionallyHSK 7
Example sentences
- 她跳舞时的姿态很美。 Tā tiàowǔ shí de zītài hěn měi.Her motions when dancing are lovely.
- 一小时后见。 Yì xiǎoshí hòu jiàn.We'll meet in an hour.
- 起床的时间到了。 Qǐchuáng de shíjiān dào le.It's time to get up.
- 时间很晚了，我们回家吧！ Shíjiān hěn wǎn le, wǒmen huíjiā ba!It's very late, so let's go home!