间

間

jiān

measure word HSK 1 #590

Meanings

门 (door) + 日 (sun) — sunlight peeking through a door

Zhè jiān fángjiān hěn dà.

This room is very large.

Shíjiān guò de zhēn kuài.

Time passes really fast.

usage

间 as a measure word counts rooms: 一间卧室 (one bedroom), 一间教室 (one classroom). It also appears in common words like 时间 (time), 中间 (middle), 房间 (room).

history

The traditional character 間 shows 日 (sun) peeking through 門 (a door) — the space between the doors where light comes through.

间 jiān