Difference between revisions of "Structure of times (basic)"
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== On the hour == | == On the hour == | ||
| − | + | The time of day in Chinese is formed with a [[Structure of numbers|number]] 1 to 12 (一 to 十二) followed by 点. This 点 is equivalent to ''o'clock'' in English. In China, people generally use a twelve hour clock, preceded by 上午 (a.m.) or 下午 (p.m.) if necessary. | |
=== Structure === | === Structure === | ||
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* 三 <em>点</em><span class="trans">3 o'clock</span> | * 三 <em>点</em><span class="trans">3 o'clock</span> | ||
* 十 <em>点</em><span class="trans">10 o'clock</span> | * 十 <em>点</em><span class="trans">10 o'clock</span> | ||
| − | * 中午 十二 <em>点</em><span class="trans"> 12 o'clock noon</span> | + | * 中午 十二 <em>点</em><span class="trans"> 12 o'clock / noon</span> |
* 上午 八 <em>点</em><span class="trans">8 o'clock a.m.</span> | * 上午 八 <em>点</em><span class="trans">8 o'clock a.m.</span> | ||
* 明天 晚上 七 <em>点</em><span class="trans">7 o'clock p.m.</span> | * 明天 晚上 七 <em>点</em><span class="trans">7 o'clock p.m.</span> | ||
* 9 月 9 号 早上 六 <em>点</em><span class="trans">6 o'clock a.m., 9th Sep.</span> | * 9 月 9 号 早上 六 <em>点</em><span class="trans">6 o'clock a.m., 9th Sep.</span> | ||
| − | * 每 天 下午 一 <em>点</em><span class="trans">1 o'clock p.m | + | * 每 天 下午 一 <em>点</em><span class="trans">every day at 1 o'clock p.m</span> |
* 星期 三 上午 九 <em>点</em><span class="trans">9 o'clock a.m. on Wednesday</span> | * 星期 三 上午 九 <em>点</em><span class="trans">9 o'clock a.m. on Wednesday</span> | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
| − | Note that '''two o'clock is 两点''', not 二点. Also, 中午十二点 (12pm) is | + | Note that '''two o'clock is 两点''', not 二点. Also, 中午十二点 (12pm) is noon / midday, as in English. |
== Half hours and quarter hours == | == Half hours and quarter hours == | ||
Revision as of 07:57, 29 November 2013
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Time in Chinese also goes "big to small."
Contents
On the hour
The time of day in Chinese is formed with a number 1 to 12 (一 to 十二) followed by 点. This 点 is equivalent to o'clock in English. In China, people generally use a twelve hour clock, preceded by 上午 (a.m.) or 下午 (p.m.) if necessary.
Structure
x 点
Examples
- 一 点1 o'clock
- 两 点2 o'clock
- 三 点3 o'clock
- 十 点10 o'clock
- 中午 十二 点 12 o'clock / noon
- 上午 八 点8 o'clock a.m.
- 明天 晚上 七 点7 o'clock p.m.
- 9 月 9 号 早上 六 点6 o'clock a.m., 9th Sep.
- 每 天 下午 一 点every day at 1 o'clock p.m
- 星期 三 上午 九 点9 o'clock a.m. on Wednesday
Note that two o'clock is 两点, not 二点. Also, 中午十二点 (12pm) is noon / midday, as in English.
Half hours and quarter hours
Half and quarter hours are added after 点. A half hour is indicated with 半, and a quarter with 一刻.
Structure
x 点 半
Examples
- 五 点 半5:30
- 下午 两点 半2:30 p.m.
- 9 月 9 号 早上 六点 半6:30 a.m., 9th Sep.
- 每 天 下午 一 点 半1:30 p.m. every day
- 星期 三 上午 九 点 半9:30 a.m. on Wednesday
- 上午 十 点 半10:30 a.m.
- 明天 三 点 半3:30 tomorrow
- 昨天 七 点 半7:30 yesterday
- 星期 五 晚上 十 点 半10:30 p.m. on Friday evening
- 今天 下午 四 点 半4:30 p.m. this afternoon
Structure
x 点 x 刻
Examples
- 七点一刻7:15
- 九点一刻9:15
- 十一点一刻11:15
- 十二点一刻12:15
- 五点一刻5:15
- 两点三刻2:45
- 一点三刻1:45
- 四点三刻4:45
- 十点三刻10:45
- 六点三刻6:45
Minutes
Minutes are marked with 分 (short for 分钟). The way to include them in the time depends on whether they're minutes past or to the hour.
Past the hour
Minutes past the hour are added after 点 in the same way as half and quarter hours.
Structure for 整数分钟
x 点 x 分
Examples
- 一点四十分1:40
- 两点十分2:10
- 八点二十五分8:25
- 五点三十分5:30
- 三点二十分3:20
- 七点十五分7:15
- 九点五分9:05
- 两点四十五分2:45
- 一点十五分1:15
- 两点五十分2:50
Also, you can omit 分 in this structure when X 分>10 分. For example: 2:15 is 两点十五.
Structure with 零
当分钟数不是5，10，15这样的数字时，我们一般会在“点”后面加“零”，比如2:07 就是 两点零七分。需要注意的是，人们经常喜欢省略“两点零七分”后面的“分”，直接说“两点零七”。但如果是5，10，15这样的数字，你加“零”也不是错的。
x 点 零 x 分
Examples
- 一点零四分1:04
- 两点零九分2:09
- 八点零五分8:05
- 五点零三分5:03
- 三点零二分3:02
- 七点零三分7:03
- 一点零四1:04
- 两点零九2:09
- 八点零五8:05
- 五点零三5:03
- 三点零二3:02
- 七点零三7:03
To the hour
Structure
Minutes to the hour use this structure:
差 + minutes + 分 + hour + 点
Examples
- 差 十 分 两 点ten minutes til 2 o'clock
- 差 五 分 三 点three minutes til 3 o'clock
- 差 二 十 分 十二点twenty minutes til 12 o'clock
- 差 两 分 五 点two minutes til 5 o'clock
- 差 八 分 八 点eight minutes til 8 o'clock
- 差 二 十 分 十二点twenty minutes til 12 o'clock
- 差 十 五 分 十点fifteen minutes til 10 o'clock
- 差 一刻 五 点fifteen minutes til 5 o'clock
- 差 五 分 八 点 半five minutes til 8:30
- 差 十 分 十点半ten minutes til 10:30
