Time in Chinese, just like in English, is expressed by stating the hour
first, and then the minute (big to small).

On the Hour
-----------

The time of day in Chinese is formed with a
[number](Structure_of_numbers "wikilink") 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

<div class="jiegou">
(Date and/or time of day +) x 点

</div>
Sometimes people use the longer 点钟 (diǎnzhōng) instead of just 点
(diǎn), but you're fine using the short form.

### 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.) This is how Chinese gets
around the need for "a.m." or "p.m.": use 上午 (shàngwǔ) for times in
the morning, and 下午 (xiàwǔ) for times in the afternoon.

<div class="liju">
-   九 <em>点</em><span class="pinyin">jiǔ
    <em>diǎn</em></span><span class="trans">9 o'clock</span>
-   上午 七 <em>点</em><span class="pinyin">shàngwǔ qī
    <em>diǎn</em></span><span class="trans">7 o'clock a.m.</span>
-   下午 四 <em>点</em><span class="pinyin">xiàwǔ sì
    <em>diǎn</em></span><span class="trans">4 o'clock p.m.</span>
-   中午 十二 <em>点</em><span class="pinyin">zhōngwǔ shí'èr
    <em>diǎn</em></span><span class="trans"> 12 o'clock noon</span>
-   明天 晚上 七 <em>点</em><span class="pinyin">míngtiān wǎnshang qī
    <em>diǎn</em></span><span class="trans">7 o'clock p.m. tomorrow
    evening</span>
-   9 月 9 号 早上 六 <em>点</em><span class="pinyin">jiǔ yuè jiǔ hào
    zǎoshang liù <em>diǎn</em></span><span class="trans">September 9th,
    6 o'clock a.m.</span>
-   星期三 上午 九 <em>点</em><span class="pinyin">Xīngqīsān shàngwǔ jiǔ
    <em>diǎn</em></span><span class="trans">Wednesday at 9 o'clock
    a.m.</span>

</div>
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 our article
on [comparing "er" and "liang"](comparing_"er"_and_"liang" "wikilink")).

"*Twelve* o'clock," however, is still 十二点 (shí'èr diǎn).

Half Hours
----------

Half hours are added after 点 (diăn) and are indicated with 半 (bàn).

### Structure

<div class="jiegou">
x 点 + 半

</div>
### Examples

<div class="liju">
-   五 <em>点 半</em><span class="pinyin">wǔ <em>diǎn
    bàn</em></span><span class="trans">5:30</span>
-   下午 两 <em>点 半</em><span class="pinyin">xiàwǔ liǎng <em>diǎn
    bàn</em></span><span class="trans">2:30 p.m.</span>
-   星期天 上午 十 <em>点 半</em><span class="pinyin">Xīngqītiān shàngwǔ
    shí <em>diǎn bàn</em></span><span class="trans"> Sunday at 10:30
    a.m.</span>
-   昨天 晚上 七 <em>点 半</em><span class="pinyin">zuótiān wǎnshang qī
    <em>diǎn bàn</em></span><span class="trans">7:30 yesterday
    evening</span>
-   今天 下午 四 <em>点 半</em><span class="pinyin">jīntiān xiàwǔ sì
    <em>diǎn bàn</em></span><span class="trans">4:30 p.m. this
    afternoon.</span>

</div>
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)](structure_of_times_(advanced) "wikilink").

See also
--------

-   [Structure of
    times (advanced)](Structure_of_times_(advanced) "wikilink")
-   [Structure of numbers](Structure_of_numbers "wikilink")
-   [Structure of dates](Structure_of_dates "wikilink")
-   [Structure of days of the
    week](Structure_of_days_of_the_week "wikilink")

Sources and further reading
---------------------------

### Books

-   [Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1
    (3rd ed)](Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_1_(3rd_ed) "wikilink") (pp.
    74-5)　[→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276385/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276385)
-   [New Practical Chinese Reader
    1 (新实用汉语课本1)](New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_1_(新实用汉语课本1) "wikilink") (pp.
    160)
    [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561910401/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561910401)
-   [New Practical Chinese Reader 1
    (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed)](New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_1_(新实用汉语课本1)(2nd_ed) "wikilink") (pp.
    185)
    [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561926235/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=7561926235)

[Category:A1 grammar points](Category:A1_grammar_points "wikilink")