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无时无刻 (wú shí wú kè) — (fixed expression, must be used with 不) all the time; incessantly

Definition

A fixed intensifier meaning 'every moment, constantly' — always paired with 不 to emphasize an ongoing action (无时无刻不在...).

idiom
(fixed expression, must be used with 不) all the timeincessantly

Examples

  • 无时无刻。
    Tā wú shí wú kè bú zài sī kǎo zhè ge wèn tí.
    He is thinking about this problem all the time.
  • 无时无刻。
    Tā wú shí wú kè bú zài zhào gù hái zi.
    She is taking care of the children all the time.
  • 无时无刻。
    Zhè ge chéng shì wú shí wú kè bú zài biàn huà.
    This city is changing all the time.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

无时without time
无wúwithout时shítime
动宾Verb + object
无刻without moment
无wúwithout刻kèmoment
动宾Verb + object

无时 and 无刻 mean without any moment; paired with a negative, the double negation says not once absent.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

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 時; 时 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
日日rìsun; day
Sound part声符shēngfú
之
之zhī時shí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 時 pairs 日 (sun/day) with 之 as the part that gives the sound; the simplified 时 is not the form described.

Open 时 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
刂Written in full as刀dāo
Sound part声符shēngfú
亥
亥hài刻kè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

刻 is made of 刂, a form of 刀 (knife), and 亥, which gives the sound.

Open 刻 →
Appears in
Frequency & DurationIdioms & Set Phrases

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