Difference between revisions of "Structure of times (basic)"

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Times of the day in Chinese are 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.
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{{Grammar Box}}
  
== Examples ==
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Time in Chinese, just like in English, is expressed by stating the hour first, and then the minute (big to small).
  
<div class="liju">
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== On the Hour ==
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 +
The time of day in Chinese is formed with a [[Structure of numbers|number]] 1 to 12 (一 (yī) to 十二 (shí'èr)) 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.
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=== Structure ===
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<div class="jiegou">
  
* 一点
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(Date and/or time of day +) x 点
* 两点
 
* 三点
 
* 十点
 
* 下午十二点
 
* 上午八点
 
  
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
Note that '''two o'clock is 两点''', not 二点. Also, 十二点下午 (12pm) is twelve noon / midday, as in English.
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Sometimes people use the longer 点钟 (diǎnzhōng) instead of just 点 (diǎn), but you're fine using the short form.
  
== Half hours and quarter hours ==
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=== Examples ===
  
Half and quarter hours are added after 点. A half hour is indicated with 半, and a quarter with 一刻. Some examples:
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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.) This is how Chinese gets around the need for "a.m." or "p.m.": use 上午 (shàngwǔ) for times in the morning, and 下午 (xiàwǔ) for times in the afternoon.
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
  
* 五点半
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* 九 <em>点</em><span class="pinyin">jiǔ <em>diǎn</em></span><span class="trans">9 o'clock</span>
* 七点一刻
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* 上午 七 <em>点</em><span class="pinyin">shàngwǔ qī <em>diǎn</em></span><span class="trans">7 o'clock a.m.</span>
* 十一点一刻
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* 下午 四 <em>点</em><span class="pinyin">xiàwǔ sì <em>diǎn</em></span><span class="trans">4 o'clock p.m.</span>
* 两点半
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* 中午 十二 <em>点</em><span class="pinyin">zhōngwǔ shí'èr <em>diǎn</em></span><span class="trans"> 12 o'clock noon</span>
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* 明天 晚上 七 <em>点</em><span class="pinyin">míngtiān wǎnshang qī <em>diǎn</em></span><span class="trans">7 o'clock p.m. tomorrow evening</span>
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* 9 月 9 号 早上 六 <em>点</em><span class="pinyin">jiǔ yuè jiǔ hào zǎoshang liù <em>diǎn</em></span><span class="trans">September 9th, 6 o'clock a.m.</span>
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* 星期三 上午 九 <em>点</em><span class="pinyin">Xīngqīsān shàngwǔ jiǔ <em>diǎn</em></span><span class="trans">Wednesday at 9 o'clock a.m.</span>
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</div>
  
</div>
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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 our article on [[comparing "er" and "liang"]]).
  
== Minutes ==
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"''Twelve'' o'clock," however, is still 十二点 (shí'èr diǎn).
  
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.
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== Half Hours ==
  
=== Past the hour ===
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Half hours are added after 点 (diăn) and are indicated with 半 (bàn).
  
Minutes ''past'' the hour are added after 点 in the same way as half and quarter hours. Examples:
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=== Structure ===
  
<div class="liju">
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<div class="jiegou">
  
* 一点四十分
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x 点 + 半
* 两点十分
 
* 八点二十五分
 
  
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
=== To the hour ===
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=== Examples ===
  
Minutes ''to'' the hour use this structure:
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<div class="liju">
 
 
<div class="jiegou">
 
  
差 + minutes + 分 + hour +
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* 五 <em>半</em><span class="pinyin">wǔ <em>diǎn bàn</em></span><span class="trans">5:30</span>
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* 下午 两 <em>点 半</em><span class="pinyin">xiàwǔ liǎng <em>diǎn bàn</em></span><span class="trans">2:30 p.m.</span>
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* 星期天 上午 十 <em>点 半</em><span class="pinyin">Xīngqītiān shàngwǔ shí <em>diǎn bàn</em></span><span class="trans"> Sunday at 10:30 a.m.</span>
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* 昨天 晚上 七 <em>点 半</em><span class="pinyin">zuótiān wǎnshang qī <em>diǎn bàn</em></span><span class="trans">7:30 yesterday evening</span>
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* 今天 下午 四 <em>点 半</em><span class="pinyin">jīntiān xiàwǔ sì <em>diǎn bàn</em></span><span class="trans">4:30 p.m. this afternoon.</span>
  
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
Some examples:
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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)]].
  
<div class="liju">
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== HSK Notes ==
  
* 差十分两点
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Simple times with 点 (diăn) is on HSK1, but the usage above with 半 (bàn) is not. It is not tested until HSK3.
* 差五分三点
 
* 差二十分十二点
 
 
 
</div>
 
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==
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*[[Structure of times (advanced)]]
 
*[[Structure of numbers]]
 
*[[Structure of numbers]]
 
*[[Structure of dates]]
 
*[[Structure of dates]]
Line 74: Line 76:
 
=== Books ===
 
=== Books ===
  
* [[Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed)]] (pp. 74-5) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276385/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276385 →buy]
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{{Source|HSK Standard Course 1|84}}
* [[New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)]] (pp. 160) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561910401/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561910401 →buy]
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{{Source|HSK Standard Course 3|59}}
* [[New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed)]] (pp. 185) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561926235/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=7561926235 →buy]
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{{Source|Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed)|74-5}}
 +
{{Source|New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)|160}}
 +
{{Source|New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed)|185}}
  
 
[[Category:A1 grammar points]]
 
[[Category:A1 grammar points]]
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{{HSK|HSK1}}{{2021-HSK|HSK1}}
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{{HSK|HSK3}}
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{{Used for|Expressing time and date}}
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{{Basic Grammar|点|A1|Number + 点(钟)|现在 <em>十一点</em> 。|grammar point|ASGN6BBU}}
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{{Rel char|点钟}}
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{{Similar|Structure of times (advanced)}} 
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{{Similar|Structure of numbers}} 
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{{Similar|Structure of dates}} 
 +
{{Similar|Before a specific time}}
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{{Similar|Structure of days of the week}}
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{{POS|Numbers}}

Latest revision as of 09:22, 20 April 2021

Time in Chinese, just like in English, is expressed by stating the hour first, and then the minute (big to small).

On the Hour

The time of day in Chinese is formed with a number 1 to 12 (一 (yī) to 十二 (shí'èr)) 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

(Date and/or time of day +) x 点

Sometimes people use the longer 点钟 (diǎnzhōng) instead of just 点 (diǎn), but you're fine using the short form.

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.) This is how Chinese gets around the need for "a.m." or "p.m.": use 上午 (shàngwǔ) for times in the morning, and 下午 (xiàwǔ) for times in the afternoon.

  • jiǔ diǎn9 o'clock
  • 上午 七 shàngwǔ qī diǎn7 o'clock a.m.
  • 下午 四 xiàwǔ sì diǎn4 o'clock p.m.
  • 中午 十二 zhōngwǔ shí'èr diǎn 12 o'clock noon
  • 明天 晚上 七 míngtiān wǎnshang qī diǎn7 o'clock p.m. tomorrow evening
  • 9 月 9 号 早上 六 jiǔ yuè jiǔ hào zǎoshang liù diǎnSeptember 9th, 6 o'clock a.m.
  • 星期三 上午 九 Xīngqīsān shàngwǔ jiǔ diǎnWednesday 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 our article on comparing "er" and "liang").

"Twelve o'clock," however, is still 十二点 (shí'èr diǎn).

Half Hours

Half hours are added after 点 (diăn) and are indicated with 半 (bàn).

Structure

x 点 + 半

Examples

  • 点 半diǎn bàn5:30
  • 下午 两 点 半xiàwǔ liǎng diǎn bàn2:30 p.m.
  • 星期天 上午 十 点 半Xīngqītiān shàngwǔ shí diǎn bàn Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
  • 昨天 晚上 七 点 半zuótiān wǎnshang qī diǎn bàn7:30 yesterday evening
  • 今天 下午 四 点 半jīntiān xiàwǔ sì diǎn bàn4:30 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).

HSK Notes

Simple times with 点 (diăn) is on HSK1, but the usage above with 半 (bàn) is not. It is not tested until HSK3.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books