午餐时间
wǔcān shíjiān
午餐时间 (wǔcān shíjiān) is the Chinese way to say lunch time.
午餐时间 refers to the time of day when people usually eat their midday meal. In many contexts, native speakers will instead use the verb phrase 吃午饭 (to eat lunch) to indicate the activity of having lunch rather than stating the time itself.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 午餐, meaning lunch and 时间, meaning time.
Which one should you use?
午餐时间 is a formal way to express lunch time. For a more colloquial or informal version, you can use 午饭时间. Additionally, while 午餐 is the formal term for lunch, people often use 午饭 in casual conversation.
How do you pronounce it?
wǔcān shíjiān
Did you know?
- The character 午 (wǔ) in 午餐时间 refers to the 'Horse' in the Chinese zodiac. In the traditional twelve-hour system, the 'Hour of the Horse' is the period centered around noon.
- In many Chinese workplaces and schools, 午餐时间 often includes a scheduled nap. This custom, known as 午睡, is seen as essential for productivity in the afternoon.
- In some traditional contexts, the word 午 represents the direction South. This is because the sun is at its highest point in the sky and directly south during 午餐时间 in the Northern Hemisphere.
Examples in context
- 午餐时间到了。Wǔcān shíjiān dào le.It is lunch time.
- 我们的午餐时间很短。Wǒmen de wǔcān shíjiān hěn duǎn.Our lunch time is very short.
Example conversation
Two colleagues are talking in a modern office.
- 伟 Wei佳怡，现在是午餐时间吗？Jiāyí, xiànzài shì wǔcān shíjiān ma?Jiayi, is it lunch time now?
- 佳怡 Jiayi是的，伟，我们该去吃饭了。Shì de, Wěi, wǒmen gāi qù chīfàn le.Yes, Wei, we should go eat.
- 伟 Wei你想去吃什么？Nǐ xiǎng qù chī shénme?What do you want to eat?
- 佳怡 Jiayi我想吃面条。Wǒ xiǎng chī miàntiáo.I want to eat noodles.
