半小时
bàn xiǎoshí
In Chinese, the English phrase 'half an hour' is expressed as 半小时 (bàn xiǎoshí).
半小时 refers to a period of time lasting thirty minutes.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 半 (half) and 小时 (hour).
Which one should you use?
While 半小时 is the standard way to say half an hour, 半个小时 is also commonly used in spoken Chinese to include the measure word 个. Additionally, 半个钟头 can also mean half an hour.
How do you pronounce it?
bàn xiǎoshí
Did you know?
- In Chinese, the word for 'hour' 小时 literally means 'small hour'. This term was created to distinguish the 60-minute hour from the traditional 时辰, which lasted two hours.
- The colloquial term 钟头 comes from the word for 'bell' or 'clock'. It reflects an older era when time was marked by the physical striking of sounds.
- The character 半 (half) is used in the common idiom 半途而废, which describes the act of giving up halfway through a task.
Examples in context
- 我等了接近半小时。I was kept waiting for nearly half an hour.This sentence is useful for describing a duration of time one has spent waiting.Tatoeba #5993956 by verdastelo9604, translation #72743 by CK
- 她让我等了半小时。She kept me waiting for half an hour.This sentence is useful for describing how long someone else kept you waiting.Tatoeba #782982 by fucongcong, translation #388054 by CK
- 事故耽误了我们半小时。An accident delayed us for half an hour.This sentence is useful for describing how an event caused a delay of a certain duration.Tatoeba #332595 by fucongcong, translation #263703 by sundown
- 我等了 半小时 ，还没有见到他。I have been waiting for half an hour, and I haven't seen him yet.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Haoran and Yuting are discussing when to meet for lunch.
- 浩然 Haoran我们半小时后在餐厅见。Wǒmen bàn xiǎoshí hòu zài cāntīng jiàn.Let's meet at the restaurant in half an hour.
- 雨婷 Yuting没问题，我现在就出发。Méi wèntí, wǒ xiànzài jiù chūfā.No problem, I'm leaving now.
- 浩然 Haoran你走过来需要半小时吗？Nǐ zǒu guòlái xūyào bàn xiǎoshí ma?Does it take you half an hour to walk over?
- 雨婷 Yuting不需要，只要十分钟。Bù xūyào, zhǐyào shí fēnzhōng.No, it only takes ten minutes.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
