多时 (duō shí) — a long time (formal/literary usage)

Definition

Literary/formal noun meaning 'a long time' — not used in everyday speech. A more common way to say this in modern Chinese is 很久.

noun

a long time (formal/literary usage)

多时，？
duō shí Bú jiàn, nǐ hái hǎo ma?
Long time no see — have you been well?
多时，。
Tā děng le duō shí, tā cái lái.
He waited a long time before she came.
，。
Zhè ge wèn tí tǎo lùn guò duō shí, hái shì méi yǒu jié guǒ.
This issue was discussed for a long time and still has no result.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

The 多 meaning much and 时 meaning time combine to indicate a long time.

Characters in this word

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

多 originally showed two pieces of meat placed together; the repeated meat shape gives the sense of many.

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.

Appears in