二十五分 (èr shí wǔ fēn) — twenty-five minutes (as in time of day: 2:25 or 9:25, etc.)

Definition

noun
twenty-five minutes (as in time of day: 2:25 or 9:25, etc.)

Examples

  • 二十五分。
    Xiàn zài shì jiǔ diǎn èr shí wǔ fēn.
    It's nine twenty-five now.
  • 二十五分。
    Fēi jī zài bā diǎn èr shí wǔ fēn qǐ fēi.
    The plane takes off at eight twenty-five.
  • 二十五分。
    Tā měi tiān qī diǎn èr shí wǔ fēn chū fā.
    He departs at seven twenty-five every day.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

二 is drawn as two parallel strokes, where the number of strokes shows the amount.

Open 二 →

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

The early shape 十 was mostly a single vertical stroke, sometimes with a dot, and later gained a horizontal stroke to form a cross. For the number ten, it marked the next digit above one.

Open 十 →

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

An older form had a crossed mark between a top bar and a bottom bar. The modern 五 keeps those bars, while the original idea is uncertain.

Open 五 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

分 pairs 八 (to separate) with 刀 (knife), showing something cut apart with a knife.

Open 分 →

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