超时 (chāo shí) — to work overtime; to exceed a time limit | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

超时 covers two senses: working past normal hours (overtime) and going beyond an allowed deadline or limit (e.g., in an exam). The first example (∼工作) is 'overtime'; the others (disqualification) show the limit-exceeded sense.

verb

to work overtimeto exceed a time limit

Examples

超时。
Tā měi tiān dōu yào chāo shí gōng zuò.
He has to work overtime every day.
超时。
Tā yīn wèi chāo shí bèi qǔ xiāo le chéng jì.
He was disqualified for exceeding the time limit.
，。
Tā chāo le sān cì shí, zuì zhōng bèi qǔ xiāo le zī gé.
He exceeded the time limit three times and was finally disqualified.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

超 means to exceed, and 时 points to the time limit being exceeded.

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.

走召超

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

召

召zhào超chāo

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

超 pairs 走, meaning “run,” with 召, which gives the sound.

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.

Appears in

Time (Abstract)

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