八点零五 (bā diǎn líng wǔ) — 8:05 (time)

Definition

The standard way to read a clock time: hour + 点 + minutes. 分钟 or 分 is usually omitted in fast speech.

numeral

8:05 (time)

八点零五。
Wǒ men bā diǎn líng wǔ jiàn miàn ba.
Let's meet at 8:05.
八点零五。
bā diǎn líng wǔ De huǒ chē yǐ jīng kāi le.
The 8:05 train has already left.
八点零五。
Tā měi tiān bā diǎn líng wǔ qǐ chuáng.
He gets up at 8:05 every day.

Characters in this word

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

八 shows two bent lines, indicating the original meaning 'to divide'; it was later used for 'eight' because the words sounded alike.

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 點; 点 is its simplified writing.

黑占點

Meaning part形符xíngfú

黑黑hēiblack

Sound part声符shēngfú

占

占zhàn點diǎn(r)

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 點 pairs 黑 (black) with 占 for its sound; the simplified 点 is a later abbreviation.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

雨令零

Meaning part形符xíngfú

雨雨yǔrain

Sound part声符shēngfú

令

Same sound today

In 零, the 雨 part depicts thick raindrops falling from the sky; the 令 part gives the sound.

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.