Calendar time
49.249.1.5 the location of clock time phrases in the sentence
Clock time, like all phrases that indicate the time when a situation takes place, occurs at the
beginning of the predicate, right after the subject.他每天中午十二点钟吃饭。
他每天中午十二點鐘吃飯。
Tā měitiān zhōngwǔ shí’èr diǎn zhōng chī fàn.
He eats every day around 12:00 noon.
The position of the clock time phrase in the sentence is the same whether the sentence is a
statement or a question.Q: 什么时候吃晚饭？ A: 我们六点吃晚饭。
甚麼時候吃晚飯？ 我們六點吃晚飯。
Shénme shíhòu chī wǎnfàn? Wǒmen liù diǎn chī wǎnfàn.
When will we have dinner? We will eat dinner at 6:00.Q: 我们什么时候见？ A: 我们明天上午九点见。
我們甚麼時候見？ 我們明天上午九點見。
Wǒmen shénme shíhòu jiàn? Wǒmen míngtiān shàngwǔ jiǔ diǎn jiàn.
When shall we meet? We will meet at 9:00 tomorrow morning.C4.5, 4.1149.1.6 asking about time
To ask for the present hour of the day, say:现在几点钟？
現在幾點鐘？
Xiànzài jǐ diǎn zhōng?
What time (hour) is it now?
More general questions about the present time are the following:现在(是)什么时候？ or 现在(是)什么时间？
現在(是)甚麼時候？ 現在(是)甚麼時間？
Xiànzài (shì) shénme shíhòu? Xiànzài (shì) shénme shíjiān?
What time is it now? What time is it now?
C28.649.2 Calendar time
China uses two different calendar systems. The Western calendar, called 阳历/陽曆 yánglì,
is used in nearly all official and public contexts, such as school, business, publishing, civil
administration, military affairs, and politics. The 阴历/陰曆 yīnlì (lunar calendar), sometimes
called 农历/農曆 nónglì (agricultural calendar), is used to mark birthdays, and traditional
Chinese holidays such as the Chinese New Year, the Dragon Festival, the Mid-Autumn festival,
etc. Until the nineteenth century, the lunar calendar was the primary calendar. Nowadays, the
Western calendar is more widely used than the lunar calendar, especially in urban China.