Meaning of 这时
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- at this time
- at this moment
How to use 这时
这时 is used mostly in storytelling and written narration to mark the moment when something new happens, much like "just then" or "at that moment" in English. It usually comes at the start of a sentence. Example: 这时，电话响了。(Zhèshí, diànhuà xiǎng le.) Just then, the phone rang.
这 (zhè) means "this" and 时 (shí) means "time," so 这时 is simply "this time." Picture pointing at a clock and saying "this one, right now."
Common mistake: Learners often use 这时 for "now" in everyday talk, as in 我这时很忙. For the present moment you should say 现在 (xiànzài), because 这时 points to a moment within a story or a described situation. Also remember the tones are fourth tone plus second tone: zhè shí, not zhé shì.
这时 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.
这 zhè · this · 7 strokes
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时 shí · o'clock · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 这时.
| 这里 | zhèlǐ | here |
| 时候 | shíhou | time; length of time |
| 这些 | zhèxiē | these |
| 时间 | shíjiān | (concept of) time; (duration of) time |
| 这儿 | zhèr | here |
| 小时 | xiǎoshí | hour |
| 这边 | zhèbiān | this side; here |
| 有时 | yǒushí | sometimes; now and then |
| 有时候 | yǒushíhou | sometimes |
| 这样 | zhèyàng | this way; like this; so; (before a noun) this kind of; such |
| 这么 | zhème | so much; this much |
| 当时 | dāngshí | then; at that time |
Questions about 这时
What does 这时 mean?
这时 (zhè shí) means "at this time; at this moment".
How do you write 这时?
这时 is made of 2 characters: 这 (7 strokes), 时 (7 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 这时 an HSK word?
Yes. 这时 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 这时 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 这时 is written 這時.
What is the difference between 这时 and 这时候?
They mean the same thing. 这时候 (zhè shíhou) is a little more conversational, while 这时 is shorter and more common in writing and narration.
Can 这时 refer to the past?
Yes, and it often does. In a story told in the past, 这时 means "at that moment" in the scene being described, so it translates naturally as "just then" or "at this point."