Structure of times (basic)
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Time in Chinese, just like in English, is expressed by stating the hour first then the minute.
Contents
On the hour
The time of day in Chinese is formed with a number 1 to 12 (一 (yī) to 十二 (shíèr)) followed by 点 (diăn). This 点 (diăn) is equivalent to o'clock in English. In China, people generally use a twelve-hour clock, preceded by 上午 (shàngwŭ) for "a.m." or 下午 (xiàwŭ) for "p.m." when necessary.
Structure
x 点
Examples
If you want to include more specific information, start with the day or date, followed by the general time of day, with the exact clock time last. (This is the big-to-small pattern.)
- 九 点9 o'clock
- 上午 七 点7 o'clock a.m.
- 下午 四 点2 o'clock p.m.
- 中午 十二 点 12 o'clock noon
- 明天 晚上 七 点7 o'clock p.m. tomorrow
- 9 月 9 号 早上 六 点September 9th, 6 o'clock a.m.
- 星期三 上午 九 点Wednesday at 9 o'clock a.m.
Note that two o'clock is 两点 (liǎng diǎn), not 二点 (èr diǎn). (For more information on when to use 两 (liǎng) vs. 二 (èr), see "Er" and "liang").
Half hours
Half hours are added after 点 (diăn) and are indicated with 半 (bàn).
Structure
x 点 半
Examples
- 五 点 半5:30
- 下午 两 点 半2:30 p.m.
- 星期 天 上午 十 点 半 Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
- 昨天 晚上 七 点 半7:30 yesterday
- 今天 下午 四 点 半4:30 p.m. this afternoon.
As a beginner, that should be all you need. If you've mastered all of these structures and want to get a little more advanced, see structure of times (advanced).
