Meaning of 时候
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- time
- length of time
- moment
- period
How to use 时候
时候 usually marks a specific moment or period, often in the pattern ……的时候 meaning "when...". It also appears in the question 什么时候 (shénme shíhou), "when?". Example: 我小的时候住在北京。(Wǒ xiǎo de shíhou zhù zài Běijīng.) When I was little, I lived in Beijing.
时 (shí) means time, and 候 (hòu) means to wait. A 时候 (shíhou) is the point in time you are waiting for, a particular moment.
Common mistake: Learners often use 时候 where 时间 (shíjiān) is needed. 时候 is a moment, while 时间 is time as an amount, so say 我没有时间 (wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān), not 我没有时候. Also note that 候 is usually read in the neutral tone here: shíhou, not shíhòu.
时候 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.
时 shí · o'clock · 7 strokes
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候 hòu · to wait · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 时候.
| 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 | |
| 这时 | zhè shí | at this time; at this moment |
Questions about 时候
What does 时候 mean?
时候 (shíhou) means "time; length of time" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 时候?
时候 is made of 2 characters: 时 (7 strokes), 候 (10 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 时候 an HSK word?
Yes. 时候 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 时候 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 时候 is written 時候.
Where does ……的时候 go in a sentence?
The 的时候 clause comes first, before the main clause, unlike English "when" which can go at either end. For example, 吃饭的时候不要看手机 (chīfàn de shíhou bú yào kàn shǒujī), Don't look at your phone while eating.
What is the difference between 有时候 and 有时?
Both mean "sometimes" and are interchangeable in most sentences. 有时候 (yǒushíhou) is more common in everyday speech, while 有时 (yǒushí) is shorter and a bit more frequent in writing.