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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 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
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.
- 九 点jiǔ diǎn9 o'clock
- 上午 七 点shàngwǔ qī diǎn7 o'clock a.m.
- 下午 四 点xiàwǔ sì diǎn4 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 diǎn7 o'clock p.m. tomorrow evening
- 9 月 9 号 早上 六 点jiǔ yuè jiǔ hào zǎoshang liù diǎnSeptember 9th, 6 o'clock a.m.
- 星期三 上午 九 点Xīngqīsān shàngwǔ jiǔ diǎnWednesday at 9 o'clock a.m.
"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
Examples
- 五 点 半wǔ diǎn bàn5:30
- 下午 两 点 半xiàwǔ liǎng diǎn bàn2:30 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 bàn7:30 yesterday evening
- 今天 下午 四 点 半jīntiān xiàwǔ sì diǎn bàn4:30 p.m. this afternoon.