时辰

時辰

shíchen

noun #23,229

Measure Word

一个时辰 gè

Meanings

1 one of the twelve two-hour periods of the traditional Chinese day
2 time (in a general sense)
3 the appointed moment

Characters

time; hour; season

one of the twelve earthly branches; the fifth; time

Examples

古人把一天分为十二个时辰，每个时辰相当于两小时。

Gǔrén bǎ yī tiān fēn wéi shí'èr gè shíchen, měi gè shíchen xiānguāng yú liǎng xiǎoshí.

The ancients divided a day into twelve time periods, each equivalent to two hours.

他的时辰到了。

Tā de shíchen dào le.

His time has come.

Tips

culture

The twelve shíchen (时辰) are named after the twelve earthly branches (地支): 子时 (11pm–1am), 丑时 (1–3am), 寅时 (3–5am), etc. They are still referenced in Chinese medicine, fortune telling, and historical dramas.

usage

In modern colloquial usage, 时辰 can mean 'the right moment' or 'one's appointed time,' as in the idiom 时辰未到 (the time has not yet come). It carries a slightly fatalistic or dramatic tone.

Stroke Order

时 shí

辰 chén