片刻 (piàn kè) — a moment; a short while | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

片刻 is a formal-written noun for a brief moment — more literary than the everyday 时候 or 一会儿, and typically used in writing rather than speech.

noun

a momenta short while

Examples

片刻。
Qǐng shāo děng piàn kè.
Please wait a moment.
片刻，。
Tā sī kǎo le piàn kè, rán hòu huí dá.
He thought for a moment, then answered.
片刻，。
piàn kè Zhī hòu, tā zhōng yú chū xiàn le.
A moment later, she finally appeared.

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.

刻kèmoment

片 gives a short slice and 刻 gives a moment, together meaning a brief time.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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

亥刂刻

Meaning part形符xíngfú

刂Written in full as刀dāo

Sound part声符shēngfú

亥

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.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Time (Abstract)

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