si4 fan6時分时分
Jyutpingsi4 fan6
Yalesìh fahn
Definition
A period of time or hours during a day.
neutraltime
How it's used
This term functions as a slightly more descriptive way to refer to specific segments of a day compared to just using 時候. It often pairs with specific times like 凌晨 or 黃昏 to evoke a particular atmosphere or mood. It is more common in descriptive writing or storytelling than in casual, rapid-fire speech.
Examples
He always gets home in the early hours of the morning.
Do you know which time of day has the fewest people taking the bus?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this to mean duration or length of time, as it specifically refers to a point or a segment within a 24-hour cycle. Use 時間 or 陣時 if you want to talk about how long something lasts.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
