EP15 时间 Time

EP15 时间 Time

How to ask time in Chinese

Express different time of the Day

Part I Chinese 101

Dialogue:

A:你什么时间上班?

nǐ shí me shí jiān shàng bān

What time do you go to work?

B:早上9点半。

zǎo shàng jiǔ diǎn bàn. 

9:30 in the morning

A:几点下班?

jǐ diǎn xià bān

When do you leave your office?

B:下午5点30分。

xià wǔ wǔ diǎn sān shí fēn

5:30 in the afternoon.

Words & Expressions:

【时间】shí jiān: Time

北京时间Beijing Time

【点】diǎn: point; dot; spot; place

【早】zǎo:early; morning

【午】wǔ: noon

【上】shàng: up, go, upon; previous; superior; preceding

【下】xià: off, down, under; next;

【班】bān: duty; class

上班shang ban: go to work

下班xia ban: get off from work

* Here“上”and“下”are using as verbs.“上”means go,“下”means off

【半】bàn: half

* 半点ban dian: half o’ clock

4:30 四点半si dian ban: half past 4

* 一刻钟yi ke zhong: a quarter of time

3:15 三点一刻 san dian yi ke:a quarter past 3.

【分】fēn: separate; minute

Part II Language Tips

• How to ask time in Chinese

• Express different time of the Day

Part III Story of The Day

朝三暮四

zhāo sān mù sì

To change one's mind frequently

Chinese people used the phrase 朝三暮四 to illustrate the idea that the wise are good at tricks and the foolish are easily taken in. Nowadays this idiom is used for someone who changes his mind easily.

Literal meaning: have three acorns in the morning and four in the evening

Explanation: the wise are good at tricks and the foolish are easily taken in; to change one's mind frequently.

E.g

他今天说想当钢琴家,明天又说想当足球运动员; 他这样朝三暮四下去,最终只会一事无成.

tā jīn tiān shuō xiǎng dāng gāng qín jiā ,míng tiān yòu shuō xiǎng dāng zú qiú yùn dòng yuán ; tā zhè yàng zhāo sān mù sì xià qù ,zuì zhōng zhī huì yī shì wú chéng .

One day he said he wants to be a pianist, the other day he said he wants to be a football player; if he keeps changing his mind frequently like this, he will ultimately achieve nothing.