此时 (cǐ shí) — (formal, literary) now; at this moment

Definition

此时 means 'at this moment' or 'now' and is used in formal, literary, or narrative contexts to refer to a specific point in time. It is nearly synonymous with 此刻, though 此刻 is slightly more emphatic and literary; 如今 refers to 'nowadays' (a broader time span), while 当时 means 'at that time' (past) and 刚才 means 'just now' (immediately before).

noun

(formal, literary) nowat this moment

Examples

此时，。
cǐ shí, fángjiān lǐ fēicháng ānjìng.
At this moment, the room was very quiet.
此时，。
cǐ shí, tā zhōngyú zuò chū le juédìng.
At this moment, she finally made a decision.
此时，。
cǐ shí, wàimiàn xià qǐ le dàyǔ.
At this moment, it started raining heavily outside.

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