Time nouns (also called temporal nouns) are a special feature of Chinese which may take some getting used to for English speakers, since in English the same information is often expressed using adverbs.
In Chinese time nouns can be the subject, object, attribute (noun modifier), or even predicate of a sentence. Consider the following examples:
- 今天是好日子。 Today is a good day. (subject)
- 我们定了星期三。 We settled on Wednesday. (object)
- 今年的天气很奇怪。 This year's weather is really strange. (attribute)
- 明天 星期六。 Tomorrow is Saturday. (subject, predicate)
In addition, time nouns also often function as adverbials (adverb modifiers). This is a role that not just any ordinary noun can fulfill. In this role, time nouns can be placed (1) at the beginning of the sentence, (2) after the subject, and (3) before the verb. Unlike their English counterparts, these words cannot go at the end of a sentence. Consider the following examples:
- 明天我要去北京出差。 Tomorrow I have to go to Beijing on a business trip. (beginning of sentence)
- 我明天要去北京出差。 Tomorrow I have to go to Beijing on a business trip. (after subject)
- 星期天图书馆不开门。 Sunday the library is not open. (beginning of sentence)
- 图书馆星期天不开门。 Sunday the library is not open. (after subject, before verb)
Some common time nouns:
| Specific Dates and Days
| General Times and Small Time Units
| Holidays and Festivals
|
年、月、日、天、号
去年、今年、明年
昨天、今天、明天
星期一、星期二、星期天
周三、周四、周日
礼拜五、礼拜六、礼拜天 |
上午、中午、下午
早上、晚上
白天、夜里
点、分、秒
现在、过去、将来
以前、以后 (traditional grammar categorizes these two as location nouns) |
春天、夏天、秋天、冬天
春分、夏至、秋分、冬至、
立春、立夏、立秋、立冬
春节、圣诞节、中秋节、
国庆节、情人节、劳动节 |