Chinese word

此刻

Pronunciation

Pinyincǐ kè

Meaning

  • adverbnow

Example

此刻我很紧张。cǐ kè wǒ hěn jǐn zhāng

I am very nervous right now.

Illustration for 此刻 (now)

More examples

此刻已是深夜，办公室里只剩下一盏灯。cǐ kè yǐ shì shēn yè bàn gōng shì lǐ zhǐ shèng xià yì zhǎn dēng

It is already midnight, and only one light remains in the office.

Core concept

Marks the speaker's exact present moment, rather than a broad stretch of time.

Common phrases

  • 此刻已是cǐ kè yǐ shì

    already now

  • 此刻正好cǐ kè zhèng hǎo

    right now

Similar words

现在xiàn zài: Refers to the present time or situation in common everyday speech.
目前mù qián: Refers to the current state or stage of a matter in reports and explanations.
当下dāng xià: Emphasizes the current moment or point in time in formal or public language.
此时cǐ shí: Refers to a specific moment in time, mainly in written or formal language.

Definition in Chinese

表示正处在这一时间点上，着重强调发生或存在于当前这一瞬间，语气偏正式或书面化。biǎo shì zhèng chǔ zài zhè yì shí jiān diǎn shàng zhuó zhòng qiáng diào fā shēng huò cún zài yú dāng qián zhè yí shùn jiān yǔ qì piān zhèng shì huò shū miàn huà

Word origin

此刻 (cǐkè, "this moment") combines 此 (cǐ, "this") with 刻 (kè, "moment"), so its form points directly to the particular moment at hand.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this word can sound like a narrator's time stamp, so it appears especially often in reflective comments, announcements, and writing rather than relaxed small talk.

Opposites

Word lists with this word