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时候 (shí hou) — time, moment, period

Definition

时候 marks a point in time and is the everyday word used after 这/那/什么 in phrases like 这个时候 ("at this time/moment"). Time-length uses 时间; 时刻 is a more formal "moment."

noun
timemomentperiod

Examples

  • 时候？
    Nǐ shén me shí hou lái?
    What time are you coming?
  • 时候。
    Zhè ge shí hou wǒ zài jiā.
    I'm at home at this time.
  • 时候。
    Tā lái de shí hou wǒ zài xué xiào.
    When he came, I was at school.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

时shítime
候hòutime

时 and 候 both point to a time or moment, giving the sense of time.

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.

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
之zhī時shí
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.

Open 时 →

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
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
矦
矦hóu候hòu
Same sound today

候 combines 亻, relating to people, with 矦, which gives the sound.

Open 候 →

Grammar

Appears in
100 Most Frequent Chinese WordsHSK 3.0 Level 1500 Most Frequent Chinese WordsHSK 2.0 Level 11000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsTime (Abstract)

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