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片时 (piàn shí) — a moment, a short while

Definition

Literary or written way of saying 'a moment, a short while.' 比 暂时 shorter in duration and more poetic than 片刻.

noun
a momenta short while

Examples

  • 片时，。
    Qǐng shāo děng piàn shí, wǒ mǎ shàng jiù lái.
    Please wait a moment, I'll be right there.
  • 片时，。
    Tā chén mò le piàn shí, rán hòu kāi kǒu shuō huà.
    He was silent for a moment, then began to speak.
  • 片时。
    Zhè piàn shí de yóu yù ràng tā shī qù le jī huì.
    This moment of hesitation made him lose the opportunity.

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.

片piànpiece
时shítime

片 gives a piece and 时 gives time: a small piece of time.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 片 →

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 →
Appears in
Time (Abstract)

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