Chinese word

久

Pronunciation

Pinyinjiǔ

Meaning

  • adverbfor a long time

Example

好久不见！你最近怎么样？háo jiǔ bú jiàn nǐ zuì jìn zěn me yàng

Long time no see! How have you been lately?

Illustration for 久 (for a long time)

More examples

我等了好久才买到票。wǒ děng le háo jiǔ cái mǎi dào piào

I waited a long time before I finally got a ticket.

Core concept

A stretch of time that reaches far from a reference point or continues onward.

Common phrases

  • 好久不见háo jiǔ bú jiàn

    long time no see

  • 等了好久děng le háo jiǔ

    waited a long time

Similar words

好久háo jiǔ: For a really long time, stressing the length of the period in casual speech.
很久hěn jiǔ: For a long time, referring generally to a period that lasts or has passed.
一直yì zhí: Continuously, showing that an action or state carries on without a break.
长时间cháng shí jiān: Over a long period, focusing on the duration of an action or state.

Definition in Chinese

表示时间上持续很长的一段时期，常作副词，用来说明某事与现在相比已经隔了很长时间或一直持续到现在。biǎo shì shí jiān shàng chí xù hěn cháng de yí duàn shí qī cháng zuò fù cí yòng lái shuō míng mǒu shì yǔ xiàn zài xiāng bǐ yǐ jīng gé le hěn cháng shí jiān huò yì zhí chí xù dào xiàn zài

Word origin

久 (jiǔ, "for a long time") preserves an old idea of something extended, which developed into the abstract sense of extended duration.

Usage tips

  • In casual conversation, 久 (jiǔ, "for a long time") makes a time gap sound prominent, which is useful when people reconnect or mention a long wait.

Other meanings

  • long-lastingadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word