Chinese word

一时

Pronunciation

Pinyinyī shí

Meaning

  • adverbfor a while

Example

他一时没有说话。tā yì shí méi yǒu shuō huà

He did not speak for a while.

Illustration for 一时 (for a while)

More examples

她一时兴起，买了那本书。tā yì shí xīng qǐ mǎi le nà běn shū

She bought that book on a whim.

Core concept

Places an event or condition inside a short, temporary time window rather than a lasting situation.

Common phrases

  • 一时之间yì shí zhī jiān

    for a while

  • 一时无措yì shí wú cuò

    at a loss for a while

  • 一时兴起yì shí xīng qǐ

    on a whim

Similar words

一会儿yí huìr: For a short time in everyday speech, often suggesting that something will happen or end soon.
暂时zàn shí: For the time being, marking a state or arrangement that is only temporary.
瞬间shùn jiān: In an extremely brief moment, marking something that happens almost instantly.

Definition in Chinese

用于表示在短时间内发生或存在的情况，强调暂时而非长期。yòng yú biǎo shì zài duǎn shí jiān nèi fā shēng huò cún zài de qíng kuàng qiáng diào zàn shí ér fēi cháng qī

Word origin

The word 一时 (yīshí, "one period of time") joins 一 (yī, "one") and 时 (shí, "time") to focus on one limited phase of a situation.

Usage tips

  • 一时 (yīshí, "for a short time") usually comes before the verb or adjective it limits, which places the time frame clearly in a Chinese sentence.

Other meanings

  • temporarilyadverb
  • for the time beingadverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word