改天 (gǎi tiān) — another day, some other time | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A casual, spoken way to say 'another day' when postponing plans. Synonymous with the more formal 改日; unlike 早晚 ('sooner or later'), it does not imply inevitability.

adverb

another daysome other time

Examples

，改天。
Wǒ jīn tiān hěn máng, gǎi tiān zài qù.
I'm very busy today; let's go another day.
改天，？
gǎi tiān Wǒ men zài jiàn, hǎo ma?
Let's meet again another day, okay?
改天。
Tā shuō gǎi tiān qǐng wǒ chī fàn.
He said he'll treat me to a meal another day.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

改 (change) + 天 (day) suggests shifting to another day.

Characters in this word

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú

攴攴pū

Sound part声符shēngfú

巳

巳sì改gǎi

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

An early form of 改 paired 巳 as a sound part with 攴 as a meaning part; the sound part later changed.

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

丁

丁dīng天tiān

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

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 5 Time (Abstract)

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