差

• Pinyin: chà
• Hanzi breakdown: 差 = compound character; top components relate to unevenness, bottom 工 (work) — a difference or gap

Meaning

To lack; to be short of; poor; bad. Commonly used to express time (差五分八点 = five to eight) and quality (成绩很差 = grades are poor).

In HSK 1 contexts, 差 is most often used for telling time: 差五分钟八点 (five minutes to eight). It also means poor in quality as an adjective or to be lacking something. When describing time, it appears before the amount lacking. For quality, it typically follows 很 or 太.

Examples

1. 现在差五分八点。 It's five minutes to eight now.
2. 他的成绩很差。 His grades are very poor.
3. 这个饭店的菜太差了。 The food at this restaurant is too bad.

Usage Guide

Context: time, evaluation, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 现在差十分九点。(It's ten minutes to nine now.)
• 这次考试我考得很差。(I did very poorly on this exam.)

Don't Say

• 混淆'差不多八点'和'差五分八点'。(Don't confuse 差不多八点 (roughly eight) with 差五分八点 (five to eight) — they have different meanings)

Origin & History

The character originally combined components suggesting unevenness or discrepancy, evolving to mean lacking, different, or inferior in quality.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal