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之际 (zhī jì) — at the time of, during (formal/literary)

Definition

Written/literary 'at the time of, during,' used after a noun in 在…之际. More formal than 当时 and 之中, which are the everyday and slightly less literary equivalents.

noun
at the time ofduring (formal/literary)

Examples

  • 之际，。
    Zài lí bié zhī jì, dà jiā dōu kū le.
    At the time of parting, everyone cried.
  • 之际，。
    Zài bǐ sài zhī jì, xuǎn shǒu men dōu hěn jǐn zhāng.
    At the time of the competition, the contestants were all nervous.
  • 之际，。
    Zài cǐ cì wēi jī zhī jì, wǒ men xū yào bǎo chí lěng jìng.
    At the time of this crisis, we need to stay calm.

Origin

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape pairs 止, a foot, with 一, a beginning place, and means to go.

Open 之 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 際; 际 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阝Written in full as阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
祭
祭jì際⁰jì
Same sound today

The traditional form 際 pairs 阝 with 祭: 阝 gives the meaning and 祭 gives the sound. The simplified 际 is a later shorthand.

Open 际 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Time (Abstract)

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