六时 (liù shí) — (Buddhism) the six divisions of the day (dawn,…

Definition

A Buddhist term for the six divisions of the day (dawn, morning, noon, afternoon, evening, night), used for monastic schedules and ritual practice.

noun

(Buddhism) the six divisions of the day (dawn, morning, noon, afternoon, evening, night)

Easily confused

六时。
Sì miào lǐ de sēng rén měi tiān àn liù shí xiū xíng.
The monks in the temple practice according to the six periods of the day.
六时、、。
liù shí Fēn bié zhǐ chén cháo, rì zhōng, rì méi děng dì.
The six periods refer to dawn, noon, dusk, and so on.
六时。
liù shí De gài niàn yuán zì fó jiào jīng diǎn.
The concept of the six periods originates from Buddhist scriptures.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 六 may come from a simple drawing of a shed, or from an ancient counting mark.

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

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.