Time & Telling the Time in Chinese 时间
shíjiān
Time in Chinese is 时间 (shí jiān).
Also searched for as: what time is it, o'clock, time, schedule.
When do you leave and arrive? 20 essential time & schedules words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
时间 (shí jiān) means time, and these words cover telling the time and talking about parts of the day. Chinese clock times are refreshingly logical: hours are 点 (diǎn), so three o'clock is 三点 (sān diǎn), half past is 半 (bàn), and a quarter is 一刻 (yī kè), giving you 三点一刻 (sān diǎn yī kè) for quarter past three.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 时间 | shí jiān | time |
| 现在 | xiàn zài | now |
| 点 | diǎn | o'clock |
| 分钟 | fēn zhōng | minute |
| 小时 | xiǎo shí | hour |
| 刻 | kè | quarter (of an hour) |
| 半 | bàn | half |
| 早上 | zǎo shang | morning |
| 上午 | shàng wǔ | morning (a.m.) |
| 中午 | zhōng wǔ | noon |
| 下午 | xià wǔ | afternoon |
| 晚上 | wǎn shang | evening |
| 夜里 | yè li | at night |
| 以前 | yǐ qián | before |
| 以后 | yǐ hòu | after |
| 马上 | mǎ shàng | right away |
| 已经 | yǐ jīng | already |
| 早 | zǎo | early |
| 晚 | wǎn | late |
| 时间表 | shí jiān biǎo | timetable |
Usage tips
- Time words come before the verb in Chinese, as in 我七点起床 (wǒ qī diǎn qǐ chuáng), literally 'I seven o'clock get up'.
- 你有时间吗 (nǐ yǒu shí jiān ma) or 你有空吗 (nǐ yǒu kòng ma) are the usual ways to ask whether someone is free.
- 早上 (zǎo shang) is the early part of the morning, while 上午 (shàng wǔ) covers the whole morning until noon; 晚上 (wǎn shang) is the evening and 夜里 (yè li) is the middle of the night.
Common mistakes
- Saying 二点 for two o'clock; use 两点 (liǎng diǎn), though twelve o'clock stays 十二点 (shí èr diǎn).
- Using 小时 (xiǎo shí) for clock time; 小时 is a length of time, as in 三个小时 (sān gè xiǎo shí), three hours, while 三点 (sān diǎn) is three o'clock.
- Translating 'three times' or 'this time' with 时间 (shí jiān); for occasions use 次 (cì), as in 三次 (sān cì) and 这次 (zhè cì).
Mini dialogue
- A现在几点了？Xiàn zài jǐ diǎn le?What time is it now?
- B五点四十。Wǔ diǎn sì shí.Twenty to six.
- A电影几点开始？Diàn yǐng jǐ diǎn kāi shǐ?What time does the film start?
- B六点半。我们马上走吧，还有五十分钟。Liù diǎn bàn. Wǒ men mǎ shàng zǒu ba, hái yǒu wǔ shí fēn zhōng.Half past six. Let's go right away, we've got fifty minutes.
Example sentences
- 你明天有时间吗？Are you free tomorrow?
- 现在几点了？What time is it now?
- 电影八点开始。The film starts at eight o'clock.
- 再等我五分钟。Give me five more minutes.
- 我每天睡八个小时。I sleep eight hours a day.
- 现在是三点一刻。It's a quarter past three.
- 我们六点半见。See you at half past six.
- 我早上七点起床。I get up at seven in the morning.
- 上午我有两节课。I have two lessons this morning.
- 中午我们一起吃饭吧。Let's have lunch together at noon.
- 下午我要去图书馆。I'm going to the library this afternoon.
- 晚上你想做什么？What do you want to do this evening?
- 夜里下了一场大雨。There was heavy rain during the night.
- 以前我不喜欢喝茶。I didn't use to like tea.
- 吃饭以后我们去散步。After eating, we'll go for a walk.
- 别急，我马上来！Don't worry, I'm coming right away!
- 他已经回家了。He's already gone home.
- 你今天来得真早。You're really early today.
- 太晚了，我们回家吧。It's too late, let's go home.
- 我看看火车时间表。Let me look at the train timetable.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Time & schedules speaking island has 8 everyday questions about time & schedules to prepare your own answers to.