时 shí — time, season · English

时

shí

time, season

At a glance · 时

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

小篆从日寺声，形声字，本指四时、季节。隶楷作「時」，简化作「时」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「时」本指春夏秋冬四时，引申为时间、时候。

Structure

形声字，日（意符）表与时间有关，寺为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinshí

Radical日

Strokes7

UnicodeU+65F6

Character type形声

Theme数术

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English time, season Time, season, or era.

Français temps, saison Temps, saison ou ère.

Español tiempo, estación Tiempo, estación o era.

العربية وقت، زمن وقت أو فصل أو عصر.

Русский время, пора Время, пора или эпоха.

Common words

时间shí jiāntime
时代shí dàiera

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