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时分 (shí fēn) — a particular point or period in time (especially a time of day)

Definition

时分 is a literary/formal noun for a moment or stretch of time, almost always paired with an earlier word naming the time of day (e.g. 黄昏时分 'at dusk'). For everyday speech, prefer 时候.

noun
a particular point or period in time (especially a time of day)

Examples

  • 时分，。
    Huáng hūn shí fēn, tiān biān chū xiàn le měi lì de wǎn xiá.
    At dusk, beautiful sunset clouds appeared on the horizon.
  • 时分。
    Wǒ zài lí míng shí fēn tīng dào le dì yī shēng niǎo jiào.
    I heard the first bird chirp at dawn.
  • 时分，。
    Bàng wǎn shí fēn, jiē dào shàng de rén yuè lái yuè duō.
    In the evening, more and more people appear on the streets.

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
分fēnminute

时 and 分 both point to time, giving a particular time or period.

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 →

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

分 pairs 八 (to separate) with 刀 (knife), showing something cut apart with a knife.

Open 分 →
Appears in
Time (Abstract)

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