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秒 (miǎo) — (classifier) second (unit of time)

Definition

秒 (miǎo) is the unit-of-time 'second' (60 = one minute). As a classifier it only counts elapsed time — use 次 to count how many times an event happens.

classifier
second (unit of time)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Zài děng shí miǎo.
    Wait another ten seconds.
  • ，。
    Tā pǎo dé hěn kuài, zhǐ yào wǔ miǎo.
    He runs very fast — it only takes five seconds.
  • 。
    Yì miǎo jiù gòu le.
    One second is enough.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
禾禾hécereal; grain
Sound part声符shēngfú
少
少shǎo秒miǎo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The form 秒 pairs 禾, a cereal or grain plant, with 少 giving the sound.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 5Time of Day2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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