When do I use 一会儿 vs 一时?

Use 一会儿 for a short duration or an imminent future action (e.g., 等一会儿, 一会儿见). Use 一时 for a temporary situation, often with a negative (e.g., 一时半会儿回不来). If you can replace 'a moment' with 'for the moment' and it involves inability or transience, choose 一时.

Can 一时 be used with 不 or 没有?

Yes, 一时 commonly pairs with 不 (一时想不起来) and occasionally with 没有 (一时没有主意). However, it is not used with 没 alone; the standard pattern is 一时+无法/不能/不+verb.

Is 一会儿 the same as 一下儿?

No. 一会儿 focuses on a short duration or future moment, while 一下儿 means 'a little bit' or 'briefly' and is often used to soften requests (e.g., 看一下). They are not interchangeable.

Can 一时 mean 'suddenly'?

Not directly. 一时 means 'for the moment' or 'temporarily', not 'suddenly'. For 'suddenly', use 突然 (tūrán) or 一下子 (yíxiàzi).

Easily confusedHSK 5

一会儿 vs 一时 (yíhuìr vs yìshí): how to say 'a short while'

一会儿 and 一时 both refer to a short period of time, but they are used differently. 一会儿 (yíhuìr) indicates a short duration, often in the future, and can stand alone as an adverbial. 一时 (yìshí) means 'temporarily' or 'for a moment' and frequently appears in negative constructions like 一时+不/无法 (can't for the moment). The core difference: 一会儿 is about objective time length, while 一时 is about a temporary state or inability.

Both 一会儿 (yíhuìr) and 一时 (yìshí) express a short amount of time, but they belong to different grammatical categories and carry distinct nuances. 一会儿 is a time-measure word that can be used as an adverb meaning 'in a moment' or 'for a short while', and it often appears with future actions or durations. 一时 is an adverb meaning 'temporarily' or 'for the moment', and it is most commonly used in negative or restrictive contexts, such as 一时想不起来 (can't recall for the moment) or 一时冲动 (a momentary impulse). The key to choosing correctly lies in whether you are describing a measurable time span (use 一会儿) or a transient state, especially with a negative implication (use 一时).

Wann man was verwendet

一会儿yí huì r

a moment / a while

Use 一会儿 to indicate a short duration or a future action that will happen soon. It can function as a time adverbial (一会儿 + verb) or as a complement of duration (verb + 一会儿). It is also commonly used in the pattern 一会儿 + A + 一会儿 + B to mean 'sometimes A, sometimes B'.

In Northern Mandarin, 一会儿 is often pronounced as yíhuìr with erhua; in formal writing, 一会儿 can be written as 一会儿 (standard) but the informal contraction 一会 is also common and correct.

一时yì shí

for a moment / temporarily

Use 一时 to describe a temporary situation or a momentary state, especially when the situation cannot continue or is contrasted with a longer period. It is frequently used with negations like 不 or 无法 (e.g., 一时想不起来), and in fixed expressions like 一时之间 (for the moment) or 一时冲动 (in a fit of passion). It rarely stands alone — it must attach to a verb phrase.

一时 cannot refer to a specific future action (e.g., 我一时去 is wrong). It is also not used as a duration complement (*等一时).

Auf einen Blick

	一会儿	一时
Basic meaning	a short while (duration or future moment)	a temporary moment (state or inability)
Ability to stand alone	Can be used as an adverb (一会儿去) or as a complement (等一会儿)	Must be followed by a verb phrase; never stands alone
Future reference	Commonly used for future actions (一会儿就到)	Cannot indicate future actions (一时 is non-future)
Negation	Used freely with negations (一会儿没找到 = didn't find for a while)	Frequently paired with 不 or 无法 (一时找不到 = can't find for the moment)
Fixed patterns	一会儿……一会儿…… (sometimes…sometimes…)	一时+不/无+verb (temporarily can't)

Beispiele

一会儿
请稍等一会儿。
Qǐng shāo děng yí huì r.
Please wait a moment.
Duration complement — how long to wait.
一会儿
我一会儿去超市。
Wǒ yí huì r qù chāo shì.
I'll go to the supermarket in a moment.
Future reference — 一会儿 indicates the action will happen soon.
一时
我一**时**想不起来了。
Wǒ yī ** shí ** xiǎng bù qǐ lái le.
I can't recall it for the moment.
Negation with 不 — 一时 emphasizes the temporary inability.
一时
他**一时**冲动说了那句话。
Tā ** yì shí ** chōng dòng shuō le nà jù huà.
He said that in a moment of impulse.
Transient state — 一时 modifies 冲动 (impulse).
一会儿
孩子一会儿哭一会儿笑。
Hái zi yí huì r kū yí huì r xiào.
The child cries one moment and laughs the next.
Pattern 一会儿A一会儿B — alternating actions.
一时
✗我一时去。(wrong)
✗ Wǒ yì shí qù. (wrong)
✗ I'll go momentarily.
Incorrect: 一时 cannot be used for a future action. Use 一会儿 instead.

Häufige Fehler

Using 一时 to mean 'a short while' in future contexts (e.g., *我一时去). Correct: 我一会儿去.
Using 一会儿 as a complement with 一时 (e.g., *等一时). Correct: 等一会儿.
Using 一时 alone as a time adverb without a verb (e.g., *一时之后). Correct: 一会儿之后 or 过一会儿.
Using 一会儿 in fixed negative patterns like 一会儿+不+verb to mean 'temporarily can't' (e.g., *一会儿找不到). Correct: 一时找不到.
Confusing 一会儿 with 一时 in the pattern 'sometimes…sometimes…' — only 一会儿 can be repeated (一会儿……一会儿……).

FAQ

When do I use 一会儿 vs 一时?: Use 一会儿 for a short duration or an imminent future action (e.g., 等一会儿, 一会儿见). Use 一时 for a temporary situation, often with a negative (e.g., 一时半会儿回不来). If you can replace 'a moment' with 'for the moment' and it involves inability or transience, choose 一时.
Can 一时 be used with 不 or 没有?: Yes, 一时 commonly pairs with 不 (一时想不起来) and occasionally with 没有 (一时没有主意). However, it is not used with 没 alone; the standard pattern is 一时+无法/不能/不+verb.
Is 一会儿 the same as 一下儿?: No. 一会儿 focuses on a short duration or future moment, while 一下儿 means 'a little bit' or 'briefly' and is often used to soften requests (e.g., 看一下). They are not interchangeable.
Can 一时 mean 'suddenly'?: Not directly. 一时 means 'for the moment' or 'temporarily', not 'suddenly'. For 'suddenly', use 突然 (tūrán) or 一下子 (yíxiàzi).