Structure of times (basic)
Time in Chinese, just like in English, is expressed by stating the hour first, and then the minute.
Contents
On the hour
The time of day in Chinese is formed with a number 1 to 12 (一 (yī) to 十二 (shí-èr)) followed by 点 (diăn). This 点 (diăn) is equivalent to o'clock in English. In China, people generally use a twelve-hour clock, preceded by 上午 (shàngwŭ) for "a.m." or 下午 (xiàwŭ) for "p.m." when necessary.
Structure
(Date and/or time of day +) x 点
Examples
If you want to include more specific information, start with the day or date, followed by the general time of day, with the exact clock time last. (This is the big-to-small pattern.)
- 九 点
jiǔ diǎn
9 o'clock
- 上午 七 点
shàngwǔ qī diǎn
7 o'clock a.m.
- 下午 四 点
xiàwǔ sì diǎn
4 o'clock p.m.
- 中午 十二 点
zhōngwǔ shí-èr diǎn
12 o'clock noon
- 明天 晚上 七 点
míngtiān wǎnshang qī diǎn
7 o'clock p.m. tomorrow evening
- 9 月 9 号 早上 六 点
jiǔ yuè jiǔ hào zǎoshang liù diǎn
September 9th, 6 o'clock a.m.
- 星期三 上午 九 点
Xīngqīsān shàngwǔ jiǔ diǎn
Wednesday at 9 o'clock a.m.
Note that two o'clock is 两点 (liǎng diǎn), not 二点 (èr diǎn). (For more information on when to use 两 (liǎng) vs. 二 (èr), see "Er" and "liang").
Half hours
Half hours are added after 点 (diăn) and are indicated with 半 (bàn).
Structure
x 点 + 半
Examples
- 五 点 半
wǔ diǎn bàn
5:30
- 下午 两 点 半
xiàwǔ liǎng diǎn bàn
2:30 p.m.
- 星期天 上午 十 点 半
Xīngqītiān shàngwǔ shí diǎn bàn
Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
- 昨天 晚上 七 点 半
zuótiān wǎnshang qī diǎn bàn
7:30 yesterday evening
- 今天 下午 四 点 半
jīntiān xiàwǔ sì diǎn bàn
4:30 p.m. this afternoon.
As a beginner, that should be all you need. If you've mastered all of these structures and want to get a little more advanced, see structure of times (advanced).
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 74-5)
- New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1) (pp. 160)
- New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed) (pp. 185)