时隔

• Pinyin: shí gé
• Hanzi breakdown: 时 = 日 + 寺 (time); 隔 = 阝(mound/wall radical) + 鬲 (phonetic — to separate, to partition)

Meaning

After an interval of (time); with a gap of (X amount of time). Indicates the duration that has passed between two events.

Always followed by a time expression and then the second event. Structure: 时隔 + [duration] + [event]. Common in news and historical narratives to emphasise the significance of how much time elapsed. The implied tone is often one of surprise, significance, or nostalgia. Example patterns: 时隔三年 (three years later), 时隔多年 (after many years), 时隔数月 (several months later).

Examples

1. 时隔二十年，这对老同学在一次偶然的商务活动中相遇，往日的青春记忆瞬间涌上心头。 After a gap of twenty years, the two old classmates ran into each other at a chance business event, and memories of their youth came rushing back.
2. 该影星时隔五年再度出演大银幕，首周票房便打破了个人历史纪录，令影迷振奋不已。 After five years away from the big screen, the star returned to theaters and broke their personal box office record in the first week, thrilling fans.
3. 两国外长时隔八个月举行了首次正式会晤，外界将此解读为双边关系正在走向缓和的积极信号。 After an eight-month gap, the two countries’ foreign ministers held their first official meeting, which many interpreted as a positive sign that bilateral relations are easing.

Usage Guide

Context: news, history, narrative, diplomacy

Tone: reflective

Do Say

• 时隔整整十年，这座城市终于再度举办了国际马拉松赛事，数万名来自世界各地的跑者齐聚街头，盛况空前。(After a full ten-year interval, this city finally hosted an international marathon event again; tens of thousands of runners from around the world gathered in the streets, and the scene was spectacular.)
• 时隔多年重读这些信件，他才真正理解了父亲当年所作决定背后深藏的苦衷与牵挂。(Re-reading these letters after many years, he finally truly understood the hidden suffering and concern behind the decision his father had made all those years ago.)

Don't Say

• 时隔 as a standalone phrase without following it with a time expression and a subsequent event — it always anchors a temporal gap between two specific moments

Origin & History

时 (time) + 隔 (separated by, to be apart from)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal