Meaning of 按时
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- on time
- before deadline
- on schedule
How to use 按时
按时 goes before a verb to say an action happens at the planned or required time. It is common with things like taking medicine, handing in work, or arriving. Example: 请按时吃药。(Qǐng ànshí chī yào.) Please take your medicine on time.
按 (àn) means to press or to go according to, and 时 (shí) means time. Think of pressing a button exactly when the clock says so, which is doing something according to the time.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 按时 with 准时 (zhǔnshí). 准时 stresses being punctual at an exact moment, as in 准时到 (arrive right on time), while 按时 stresses following a schedule or deadline, as in 按时交作业 (hand in homework by the deadline).
按时 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
按 àn · to press · 9 strokes
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- 9
时 shí · o'clock · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 按时.
| 时候 | shíhou | time; length of time |
| 时间 | shíjiān | (concept of) time; (duration of) time |
| 小时 | xiǎoshí | hour |
| 有时 | yǒushí | sometimes; now and then |
| 有时候 | yǒushíhou | sometimes |
| 当时 | dāngshí | then; at that time |
| 那时 | nà shí | then; at that time |
| 同时 | tóngshí | at the same time; simultaneously |
| 随时 | suíshí | at any time; at all times; at the right time; whenever necessary |
| 小时候 | xiǎoshíhou | in one's childhood |
| 平时 | píngshí | ordinarily; in normal times |
| 这时候 | zhè shíhou |
Questions about 按时
What does 按时 mean?
按时 (ànshí) means "on time; before deadline" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 按时?
按时 is made of 2 characters: 按 (9 strokes), 时 (7 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 按时 an HSK word?
Yes. 按时 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 按时 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 按时 is written 按時.
Can 按时 go at the end of a sentence like "on time" in English?
Usually no. 按时 is an adverb and normally comes before the verb, so say 他按时来了 (tā ànshí lái le), not 他来了按时.
How do I say "not on time" with 按时?
Put 没 or 不 before it: 他没按时交报告 (tā méi ànshí jiāo bàogào), he did not hand in the report on time. Use 不 for habits or future actions, such as 他常常不按时吃饭 (he often does not eat at regular times).