Understanding time in China involves more than just setting your watch. As a vast country, China operates under a single time zone, known as Beijing Time. But beyond the current hour, knowing how to tell time in Chinese is a valuable skill, whether you’re planning a trip, connecting with colleagues, or simply curious about the language. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about time in China and how to express it in Mandarin Chinese.
First things first, let’s tackle the key phrase: 时间 shí jiān (shíjiān), which directly translates to “time” in Chinese.
Before we delve deeper into time zones and telling time, mastering Chinese numbers (数字 shùzì) is essential. Think of them as the building blocks for expressing dates, times, and much more.
Numbers are indeed surprisingly important!
Once you familiarize yourself with these numbers, a whole new dimension of communication opens up, especially when discussing time.
Let’s quickly recap the basic Chinese numbers:
| Number | Hanzi | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 零 / 〇 | Líng |
| 1 | 一 | Yī |
| 2 | 二 | Èr |
| 3 | 三 | Sān |
| 4 | 四 | Sì |
| 5 | 五 | Wǔ |
| 6 | 六 | Liù |
| 7 | 七 | Qī |
| 8 | 八 | Bā |
| 9 | 九 | Jiǔ |
| 10 | 十 | Shí |
| 11 | 十一 | Shí Yī |
| 12 | 十二 | Shí Èr |
Now, let’s explore the world of time in China, starting with how China manages time zones and then moving into the specifics of telling time in Mandarin.
Understanding China’s Single Time Zone: Beijing Time
Despite its geographical size spanning several longitudinal time zones, all of China officially observes Beijing Time (北京时间 Běijīng Shíjiān), also known as China Standard Time (CST). This means the entire country, from the eastern coast to the western borders, operates on UTC+8.
This unified time system can be quite different from what you might be used to, especially if you live in a country with multiple time zones. For example, while Beijing might be experiencing midday, western regions of China, like Xinjiang, would be experiencing early morning, even though they are within the same country and using the same time.
This is a crucial aspect to remember when considering “What Time Is In China” because it simplifies time calculations across the nation but can also lead to interesting daily life adjustments for people in different parts of China.
Days of the Week in Chinese
Once you have a grasp of Chinese numbers, learning the days of the week becomes remarkably straightforward. Instead of memorizing seven distinct words, you only need to learn one core word and combine it with numbers.
The key word for “week” is 星期 xīngqī (xīngqī).
To form the days of the week, you simply append the numbers one through six to 星期 for Monday through Saturday. Sunday is the exception, using 天 (tiān), meaning day, instead of a number.
- 星期一 xīngqī yī (xīngqī yī) (Monday)
- 星期二 xīngqī èr (xīngqī èr) (Tuesday)
- 星期三 xīngqī sān (xīngqī sān) (Wednesday)
- 星期四 xīngqī sì (xīngqī sì) (Thursday)
- 星期五 xīngqī wŭ (xīngqī wŭ) (Friday)
- 星期六 xīngqī liù (xīngqī liù) (Saturday)
- 星期天 xīngqī tiān (xīngqī tiān) or 星期日 xīngqī rì (xīngqī rì) (Sunday)
As you can see, mastering the days of the week in Chinese is quite logical and number-based, making it easier to remember. Notice how the image visually represents the concept of building days of the week upon numbers, reinforcing the learning.
There are also alternative ways to say “week,” such as 周 zhōu (zhōu) and 礼拜 lǐbài (lǐbài). You can use these interchangeably with 星期, followed by numbers in the same way.
For example, Monday can be:
- 周一 (zhōu yī)
- 星期一 (xīngqī yī)
- 礼拜一 (lǐbài yī)
Here’s some additional useful vocabulary related to days and time:
- 今天 jīntiān (jīntiān) (Today)
- 昨天 zuótiān (zuótiān) (Yesterday)
- 明天 míngtiān (míngtiān) (Tomorrow)
- 前天 qiántiān (qiántiān) (The day before yesterday)
- 后天 hòutiān (hòutiān) (The day after tomorrow)
- 大前天 dàqiántiān (dàqiántiān) (Three days ago)
- 大后天 dàhòutiān (dàhòutiān) (Three days after tomorrow)
This expanded vocabulary provides a more comprehensive understanding of time references beyond just the days of the week.
Months of the Year in Chinese
Continuing the numerical pattern, expressing months in Chinese is just as intuitive. If you know your numbers from one to twelve in Chinese, you essentially already know the months!
Similar to days of the week, months are constructed by combining numbers with a single keyword:
月 yuè (yuè) (Month)
So, to say “April,” which is the fourth month, you simply say:
四月 sì yuè (sì yuè) – literally “four month.”
Here is the complete list of months in Chinese:
- 一月 yī yuè (yī yuè) (January)
- 二月 èr yuè (èr yuè) (February)
- 三月 sān yuè (sān yuè) (March)
- 四月 sì yuè (sì yuè) (April)
- 五月 wǔ yuè (wǔ yuè) (May)
- 六月 liù yuè (liù yuè) (June)
- 七月 qī yuè (qī yuè) (July)
- 八月 bā yuè (bā yuè) (August)
- 九月 jiǔ yuè (jiǔ yuè) (September)
- 十月 shí yuè (shí yuè) (October)
- 十一月 shíyī yuè (shíyī yuè) (November)
- 十二月 shí’èr yuè (shí’èr yuè) (December)
The image above visually represents the months of the year as a numbered sequence, reinforcing the simple, number-based system used in Chinese.
Telling Time on the Clock in Chinese
Now we arrive at telling time on the clock. The Chinese word for “clock” is 时钟 shí zhōng (shízhōng).
Telling time in Chinese is, again, number-centric and uses straightforward vocabulary. The key terms to remember are:
- 点 diǎn (diǎn): Means “o’clock” or “point.”
- 半 bàn (bàn): Means “half.”
- 刻 kè (kè): Means “quarter.”
- 分钟 fēnzhōng (fēnzhōng): Means “minute.”
Let’s see how these are used:
- 一点 yī diǎn (yī diǎn) (1 o’clock)
- 七点 qī diǎn (qī diǎn) (7 o’clock)
- 九点 jiǔ diǎn (jiǔ diǎn) (9 o’clock)
- 十二点 shí’èr diǎn (shí’èr diǎn) (12 o’clock)
- 两点半 liǎng diǎn bàn (liǎng diǎn bàn) (Half past two – Note: “two o’clock” is 两点 – liǎng diǎn, not 二点 – èr diǎn when telling time)
- 十点半 shí diǎn bàn (shí diǎn bàn) (Half past ten)
The image visually breaks down the clock into hours and minutes, aiding in understanding how to express time in Chinese using these components.
For times beyond the half-hour, you specify the minutes after the hour:
- 十点十分钟 shí diǎn shí fēnzhōng (shí diǎn shí fēnzhōng) (10:10 or ten past ten)
- 十一点二十五分钟 shíyī diǎn èrshíwǔ fēnzhōng (shíyī diǎn èrshíwǔ fēnzhōng) (11:25 or twenty-five past eleven)
- 三点四十分钟 sān diǎn sìshí fēnzhōng (sān diǎn sìshí fēnzhōng) (3:40 or forty minutes past three)
To express “quarter past” and “quarter to,” you can use 刻 kè (kè):
- 四点一刻 sì diǎn yī kè (sì diǎn yī kè) (4:15 or quarter past four)
- 四点十五分钟 sì diǎn shíwǔ fēnzhōng (sì diǎn shíwǔ fēnzhōng) (4:15 – alternative using minutes)
Other useful time-related words for the clock include:
- 小时 xiǎoshí (xiǎoshí) (Hour)
- 分钟 fēnzhōng (fēnzhōng) (Minute)
- 秒 miǎo (miǎo) (Second)
- 早上 zǎoshang (zǎoshang) (Morning)
- 上午 shàngwǔ (shàngwǔ) (Late Morning/AM)
- 中午 zhōngwǔ (zhōngwǔ) (Noon)
- 下午 xiàwǔ (xiàwǔ) (Afternoon/PM)
- 晚上 wǎnshang (wǎnshang) (Evening/PM)
- 半夜 bànyè (bànyè) (Midnight)
Useful Phrases About Time in Chinese
Now that you know how to tell time, days, and months, let’s look at some practical phrases related to time in Chinese that you might find useful in everyday conversations:
-
现在几点？ Xiànzài jǐ diǎn? (Xiànzài jǐ diǎn?)
- What time is it now? / What’s the time?
-
我早上7点起床。 Wǒ zǎoshang 7 diǎn qǐchuáng. (Wǒ zǎoshang 7 diǎn qǐchuáng.)
- I wake up at 7 am.
-
我在下午4点下班。 Wǒ zài xiàwǔ 4 diǎn xiàbān. (Wǒ zài xiàwǔ 4 diǎn xiàbān.)
- I finish work at 4 pm.
-
对不起，我迟到了。 Duìbùqǐ, wǒ chídàole. (Duìbùqǐ, wǒ chídàole.)
- Sorry, I am late.
-
请准时到达。 Qǐng zhǔnshí dàodá. (Qǐng zhǔnshí dàodá.)
- Please arrive on time.
-
不要迟到！ Bùyào chídào! (Bùyào chídào!)
- Don’t be late!
-
我们的航班在 _pm 出发。 Wǒmen de hángbān zài _pm chūfā. (Wǒmen de hángbān zài _pm chūfā.)
- Our flight departs at _ pm.
-
我们的火车到达 _pm。 Wǒmen de huǒchē dàodá _pm. (Wǒmen de huǒchē dàodá _pm.)
- Our train arrives at _ pm.
-
什么时候是去中国的最佳时间？ Shénme shíhòu shì qù zhōngguó de zuì jiā shíjiān? (Shénme shíhòu shì qù zhōngguó de zuì jiā shíjiān?)
- When is the best time to travel to China? (While this question is about the best time, it uses the structure of asking about time – useful for context.)
Time in Chinese – Quiz
Let’s test your understanding of telling time in Chinese!
Time’s up! (Use online quizzes or create your own based on the vocabulary learned).
Frequently Asked Questions About Time in Chinese
How do you say “What is the time” in Chinese?
“What is the time in Chinese?” is 现在几点? Xiànzài jǐ diǎn? (Xiànzài jǐ diǎn?)
How do you say “Clock” in Chinese?
“Clock” in Chinese is 时钟 shí zhōng (shízhōng).
How do you say “Morning, Afternoon, Evening” in Chinese?
“Morning, Afternoon, and Evening” in Chinese are 早上 zǎoshang (zǎoshang) (Morning), 下午 xiàwǔ (xiàwǔ) (Afternoon), and 晚上 wǎnshang (wǎnshang) (Evening).
How do you say “Second, Minute, Hour” in Chinese?
“Second, Minute, and Hour” in Chinese are 秒 miǎo (miǎo) (Second), 分钟 fēnzhōng (fēnzhōng) (Minute), and 小时 xiǎoshí (xiǎoshí) (Hour).
How do you say “Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow” in Chinese?
- 昨天 zuótiān (zuótiān) (Yesterday)
- 今天 jīntiān (jīntiān) (Today)
- 明天 míngtiān (míngtiān) (Tomorrow)
How do you say “Don’t be late” in Chinese?
A useful phrase to remember is: 不要迟到！ Bùyào chídào! (Bùyào chídào!)
By understanding these basics of time in Chinese, from the national time zone to everyday phrases, you’re well-equipped to navigate time-related conversations and schedules in China or with Chinese speakers.
