TongTong
Sign in

此刻 (cǐ kè) — this moment, now, at present

Definition

此刻 (cǐ kè) is 'this very moment' — a written, slightly literary time noun. Stronger than 目前 ('at present', a broader span); pair only with 此时, not 如今.

noun
this momentnowat present

Examples

  • 此刻，。
    cǐ kè, Wǒ men zhèng zài qìng zhù shèng lì.
    At this moment, we are celebrating the victory.
  • 此刻。
    Wǒ cǐ kè de xīn qíng fēi cháng jī dòng.
    My mood at this moment is very excited.
  • 此刻。
    cǐ kè De níng jìng ràng wǒ gǎn dào ān xīn.
    The peace at this moment makes me feel at ease.

Origin

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.

此cǐthis
刻kèmoment

此 + 刻 = 此刻: this moment, i.e. now.

Characters in this word

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

此 shows 止 (feet) and 人 (person), drawing a person stopping, to mean 'this' or 'here.'

Open 此 →

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
刂Written in full as刀dāo
Sound part声符shēngfú
亥
亥hài刻kè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

刻 is made of 刂, a form of 刀 (knife), and 亥, which gives the sound.

Open 刻 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Time (Abstract)5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.