Vocabulary · 词汇 cíhuì

时候

shíhou

The everyday word for a moment in time, and the home of the indispensable …的时候 pattern that turns any event into a "when." One of the most useful time words in the language.

~4 min read

字源 zìyuán Etymology & Structure

字源洞见 zìyuán dòngjiàn · Etymological Insight

时 shí (traditional 時) means time, hour, season; it pairs 日 rì (sun) with a phonetic element, time measured by the sun's movement. 候 hòu means to wait, to await, an interval, a juncture; it also names the small seasonal periods of the old calendar. Joined, 时候 is "the time-and-juncture," a particular moment or occasion within the flow of time.

The pairing captures something precise: 时候 is not time as an abstract quantity but time as a specific point or situation, the moment when something is the case. This is why it powers the "when" pattern. The neutral tone on 候 in speech (shíhou) marks it as a settled, everyday word. Keep it apart from 时间 shíjiān (time as duration), which uses the same 时 but a different second character, 间 (interval, space between).

时候 shíhou The Core Word

时候 shíhou a moment; a point in time; an occasion

N 名词 míngcí

A point or moment in time, the time at which something happens. It is rarely used entirely alone; its power comes from the patterns it forms, above all …的时候 ("when"), 什么时候 ("when?"), and 有时候 ("sometimes"). Think of it as the noun that anchors "when," in contrast to 时间, which anchors "how long."

现在是吃午饭的时候了。

Xiànzài shì chī wǔfàn de shíhou le.

It's time for lunch now.

那个时候我还很小。

Nàge shíhou wǒ hái hěn xiǎo.

At that time I was still very young.

…的时候 de shíhou The "When" Pattern

…的时候 · the essential "when" structure [Clause] + 的时候，+ [Main clause] , 我小的时候，住在北京 · When I was little, I lived in Beijing
[Verb] + 的时候 , 吃饭的时候 · when eating / at mealtime
[Future event] + 的时候 , 你来的时候，给我打电话 · When you come, call me
…的时候 vs. 什么时候 , statement "when" vs. question "when?"

语法重点 yǔfǎ zhòngdiǎn · Grammar Focus

…的时候 is the standard way to say "when" for a situation or event (not a question). It comes at the end of the time clause: [whatever is happening] 的时候, then the main clause. So "when I was little" is 我小的时候 (literally "I-little-de-time"), and "when it rains" is 下雨的时候. Crucially, Chinese has no tense on the verb here; 的时候 works the same for past, present, and future, with context supplying the time.

This pattern is everywhere in natural speech, so it repays drilling. Note the difference from 什么时候, which is the question word "when?": 你什么时候来？("when are you coming?") asks for a time, while 你来的时候 ("when you come") sets a time frame for something else. Mixing them up is a common early error. The 的时候 can also shorten to just 时 in compact or literary phrasing (此时, 古时), but 的时候 is the everyday form.

常用词 chángyòng cí Common Compounds

什么时候 shénme shíhou when? (question word)

The question word "when," literally "what time/moment." It sits where the time answer would go, not at the front as in English: 你什么时候走？("When are you leaving?"). One of the core question patterns alongside 哪儿 (where), 谁 (who), 怎么 (how).

我们什么时候见面？

Wǒmen shénme shíhou jiànmiàn?

When shall we meet?

有时候 yǒu shíhou sometimes

"Sometimes," literally "there are times." Often shortened to 有时. The paired form 有时候…有时候… means "sometimes… and other times…," a neat way to describe alternating situations.

我有时候喝茶，有时候喝咖啡。

Wǒ yǒu shíhou hē chá, yǒu shíhou hē kāfēi.

Sometimes I drink tea, sometimes coffee.

小时候 xiǎo shíhou in childhood; when (one) was young

"When little," a fixed expression for one's childhood. 我小时候 = "when I was a child." Compare 那时候 (back then, at that time) and 到时候 (when the time comes). Note: 小时 (without 候) means "an hour," a different word, so the 候 matters.

我小时候很喜欢画画。

Wǒ xiǎo shíhou hěn xǐhuan huà huà.

When I was young, I loved to draw.

辨析 biànxī 时候 vs. 时间

辨析 biànxī · Distinguishing the Words

时候 shíhou and 时间 shíjiān share the character 时 but answer different questions. 时候 is a moment, a point or occasion in time: it answers "when?" (什么时候). 时间 is duration, an amount of time: it answers "how long?" (多长时间) and is the word for "time" as a resource. So 我没有时间 ("I don't have time") uses 时间, because you lack a quantity of time; you cannot say 没有时候 for this.

A quick test: if you could replace the English with "moment / occasion," use 时候; if you could replace it with "duration / amount of time," use 时间. 到时候 means "when the time comes" (a moment); 花时间 means "to spend time" (a duration). Keeping these apart removes one of the most common time-word errors learners make.