Definition
半天 (bàn tiān) literally means 'half a day', but is often used figuratively to mean 'a long time' — especially when the wait feels exaggerated or annoying. It's more colloquial and subjective than 好久 (hǎo jiǔ), which simply states a long duration without the 'half a day' imagery.
quantifier
half a day(fig.) a long timequite a while
Measure word · 个
Examples
- 半天。Tā gōngzuò le bàn tiān jiù qù xiūxi le.He worked for half a day and then went to rest.
- 半天，。Wǒ děng le bàn tiān, tā háishì méi lái.I waited for a long time, but she still hasn't come.
- 半天，。Wǒmen liáo le bàn tiān, tiān dōu hēi le.We chatted for quite a while, and it got dark.
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