时间shí jiān(concept of) time; (duration of) time; (point in) time
时间 (shí jiān) means "time." It covers time as a concept, a length of time, and a point in time. Use it to ask whether someone has time, as in 你有时间吗, or to talk about how much time something takes. This entry focuses on that everyday noun meaning.
What does 时间 mean?
- 1.
(concept of) time; (duration of) time; (point in) timenoun
What do the characters in 时间 mean?
- 时time; period
- 间not compositional here
How do you use 时间?
Use 有时间 / 没有时间 to say whether you are free.
Patterns
有 / 没有 + 时间
你明天有时间吗?
Nǐ míngtiān yǒu shí jiān ma?
Do you have time tomorrow?
时间到了
时间到了。
Shí jiān dào le.
Time's up.
What are some examples of 时间 in a sentence?
How is 时间 used in a conversation?
- Speaker A:
你明天有时间吗?
Nǐ míngtiān yǒu shíjiān ma?
Do you have time tomorrow?
- Speaker B:
上午没有时间,下午有。
Shàngwǔ méiyǒu shíjiān, xiàwǔ yǒu.
Not in the morning, but I do in the afternoon.
- Speaker A:
那下午我们一起去看电影吧。
Nà xiàwǔ wǒmen yìqǐ qù kàn diànyǐng ba.
Then let's go see a movie together in the afternoon.
- Speaker B:
好!
Hǎo!
Great!
Can you use 时间 correctly?
0 of 3 answeredWhat should you learn next?
- Free HSK 3 level testSee which HSK 3.0 level your vocabulary matches.
- HSK 1 word listEvery word at this level, with examples.
- HSK 3.0 guideHow the nine levels and three bands work.
Related words
- 时候shí houtime; length of time; moment; periodHSK 1
- 现在xiàn zàinow; at present; currentlyHSK 1
- 有yǒuto have; there isHSK 1
- 没有méi yǒuhaven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have; to not beHSK 1
- 小时xiǎo shíhourHSK 1
- 房间fáng jiānroomHSK 1
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English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.