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Mandarin Chinese · HSK 3.0 Band 1 · Chapter 16

现在几点 What time is it now

Xiànzài jǐ diǎn

Time expressions: 现在 / 点 / 分 / 时间. Times of day: 早 / 早上 / 上午 / 中午 / 晚 / 晚上. Introduces persona 文山.

Dialogue

现在几点 — What time is it?

文山白bái月yuè, 现xiàn在zài几jǐ点diǎn? Bai Yue, what time is it?
白月现xiàn在zài七qī点diǎn. It's 7.
文山七qī点diǎn? 早zǎo上shàng还hái是shì晚wǎn上shàng? 7? Morning or evening?
白月晚wǎn上shàng! Evening!
文山晚wǎn上shàng七qī点diǎn了le! 我wǒ去qù吃chī晚wǎn饭fàn. It's 7pm! I'm going to dinner.
白月我wǒ也yě去qù! I'll come too!

Dialogue

中午吃饭 — Lunch

白月文wén山shān, 中zhōng午wǔ我wǒ们men吃chī饭fàn吗ma? Wen Shan, eating at noon?
文山中zhōng午wǔ十shí二èr点diǎn吃chī! 你nǐ想xiǎng吃chī什shén么me? Yes, 12 noon! What do you want?
白月我wǒ想xiǎng吃chī中zhōng国guó菜cài. I'd like Chinese food.
文山好hǎo! 中zhōng午wǔ见jiàn. Good! See you at noon.
白月一yí会huì儿er见jiàn! See you soon!

Vocabulary

现xiàn在zài: noun now
点diǎn: measure word o'clock
分fēn: measure word minute
时shí间jiān: noun time
时shí候hòu: noun time; moment
早zǎo: adjective early; morning
早zǎo上shàng: noun morning
上shàng午wǔ: noun morning (am)
中zhōng午wǔ: noun noon
晚wǎn: adjective late; evening
晚wǎn上shàng: noun evening; night
文wén山shān: pn. Wen Shan (persona — male university student)

New characters

现: now; present (in 现在)
现在 xiànzài — now实现 shíxiàn — realise; achieve
白bái: white
白月 Bái Yuè — Bai Yue (persona — design student)小白 Xiǎo Bái — Xiao Bai (persona — classmate)白文 Bái Wén — Bai Wen (persona — American grad student studying TCM and Chinese culture)
月yuè: month / moon (revisit Bk1)
白月 Bái Yuè — Bai Yue (persona — design student)朋月 Péng Yuè — Peng Yue (persona)王月 Wáng Yuè — Wang Yue (persona — anxious-but-curious software engineer with insomnia)
早zǎo: early; morning
早上 zǎoshang — morning早饭 zǎo fàn — breakfast早睡 zǎo shuì — sleep early
晚wǎn: late; evening
晚上 wǎnshang — evening; night晚饭 wǎn fàn — dinner
午: noon
上午 shàngwǔ — morning (am)中午 zhōngwǔ — noon下午 xiàwǔ — afternoon
分fēn: minute; divide
大部分 dàbùfen — most of (a group)十分 shífēn — very (formal / written register)分钟 fēnzhōng — minute
时: time
时间 shíjiān — time时候 shíhou — time; moment小时 xiǎoshí — hour
间: (in 时间)
时间 shíjiān — time中间 zhōngjiān — middle房间 fángjiān — room
候: time; moment (in 时候 / 当时)
时候 shíhou — time; moment

Hanzi — writing & recognition

点

diǎn o'clock; dot Writing

9 strokes top-bottom

分

fēn minute; divide Writing

4 strokes top-bottom

时

shí time Writing

7 strokes left-right radical 日

上

shàng up; on Writing

3 strokes standalone

早

zǎo early; morning Recognition

6 strokes top-bottom

中

zhōng middle (revisit ch4) Recognition

4 strokes standalone

晚

wǎn late; evening Recognition

11 strokes left-right radical 日

午

wǔ noon Recognition

4 strokes top-bottom

间

jiān (in 时间) Recognition

7 strokes enclosure radical 门

Grammar

Telling time — 几点 / 现在几点

Explanation

Chinese time format: X 点 (X o'clock) + X 分 (X minutes). Examples: 三点 (3:00), 三点半 (3:30), 三点十五 (3:15). Question: 现在几点? — "What time is it?" Answer: 现在 X 点 X 分. Time-of-day prefixes: 早上 / 上午 / 中午 / 晚上 (e.g. 早上七点 = 7am).

Examples

现在几点? What time is it?
现在三点半. It's 3:30.
早上七点起来. Get up at 7am.
中午十二点吃饭. Eat at noon (12).

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