小时

• 拼音: xiǎo shí
• 汉字拆解: 小 = small; 时 = 日 (sun) + 寺 (phonetic) — time, hour

含义

Hour. The standard unit of time equal to sixty minutes.

The everyday word for 'hour' in Mandarin. Used in telling duration and schedules. To express a number of hours, place the number before 小时: 一小时 (one hour), 两小时 (two hours). Note that 点 or 点钟 is used for clock times (e.g. 三点 = three o'clock), while 小时 is used for durations.

例句

1. 我每天学习两个小时中文。
2. 从这里到机场要一个小时。
3. 电影有两个小时。

用法指南

语境: everyday, time

语气: neutral

正确说法

• 我等了你一个小时。(I waited for you for an hour.)
• 还有半个小时就到了。(We'll arrive in half an hour.)

错误说法

• 说'三小时点'表示三点钟。(Don't use 小时 for clock times — say 三点 for 3 o'clock, and 三个小时 for three hours' duration)

起源与历史

Composed of 小 (small/lesser) + 时 (time/hour). Originally referred to half of a 时辰 (the two-hour unit in the traditional Chinese timekeeping system), giving the sense of a 'small' or shorter unit of time.

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal