Chinese Conversation · Level 36
90 words
Chinese word
时针
Pronunciation
Pinyinshí zhēn
Meaning
- nounhour hand
Example
那只表的时针停了。nà zhǐ biǎo de shí zhēn tíng le
The hour hand on that clock stopped.
More examples
孩子们学会通过时针和分针看时间。hái zi men xué huì tōng guò shí zhēn hé fēn zhēn kàn shí jiān
Children learn to tell time by using the hour and minute hands.
Core concept
A short, slow pointer that marks the hour on a clock face.
Common phrases
看时针kàn shí zhēn
look at the hour hand
分辨时针和分针fēn biàn shí zhēn hé fēn zhēn
distinguish the hour hand from the minute hand
Similar words
分针fēn zhēn: The long clock hand that points to the minutes.
指针zhǐ zhēn: A thin pointer on a clock face that indicates the time.
表盘biǎo pán: The round part of a clock where the numbers and marks appear.
Definition in Chinese
钟表上表示小时刻度的指针，通常比分针短且移动更慢，用来标示当前钟点。zhōng biǎo shàng biǎo shì xiǎo shí kè dù de zhǐ zhēn tōng cháng bǐ fēn zhēn duǎn qiě yí dòng gèng màn yòng lái biāo shì dāng qián zhōng diǎn
Word origin
时针 (shízhēn, "hour hand") is a compound of 时 (shí, "hour") + 针 (zhēn, "needle"), naming the needle-like pointer that marks the hour.
Usage tips
- This noun applies to an analog clock, so a digital time display has no 时针 (shízhēn, "hour hand") to identify.
Other meanings
- hand of a clocknoun
Opposites
- 分针fēn zhēnminute handnoun
- 秒针miǎo zhēnsecond handnoun