TongTong
Sign in

一刻 (yī kè) — a brief moment; a short while

Definition

一刻 means 'a very brief moment' (literally 'one quarter-hour'), used in set phrases like 一刻钟 ('a quarter of an hour'). It emphasizes that even a short time feels long or matters — often with 也不, 也离不开, 也停不下来.

noun
a brief momenta short while

Examples

  • 一刻。
    Tā yī kè bù tíng dì gōng zuò.
    She works without stopping for a moment.
  • 一刻。
    Qǐng děng wǒ yī kè zhōng.
    Please wait for me a quarter of an hour.
  • 一刻。
    Tā yī kè yě lí bù kāi shǒu jī.
    He can't leave his phone for a moment.

Origin

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

一 is drawn as one horizontal stroke, marking the number one.

Open 一 →

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
Time (Abstract)2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.