时值 (shí zhí) — (music) duration (of a note); (finance) current value, going price

Definition

Specialized term with two unrelated senses: in music, the duration of a note; in finance, the current market value of something. Each sense is restricted to a technical context, not everyday speech.

noun
(music) duration (of a note)(finance) current valuegoing price

Examples

  • ，时值。
    Zài yīn yuè zhōng, měi gè yīn fú dōu yǒu gù dìng de shí zhí.
    In music, each note has a fixed duration.
  • 时值。
    Zhè zhǒng shāng pǐn de dāng qián shí zhí bō dòng hěn dà.
    The current market price of this commodity fluctuates a lot.
  • 时值。
    Zhè kuài gǔ dǒng de shí zhí fēi cháng gāo.
    The current value of this antique is very high.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

时shícurrent
值zhívalue

时 gives the time or current moment, and 值 gives the value, together meaning the value of time or its going price.

Characters in this word

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 →

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
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
直
直zhí值zhí
Same sound today

值 is made from 亻 (written in full as 人, a person) and 直, with 直 giving the sound.

Open 值 →

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