ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

to wait / time (in 时候)

hòu
10 strokes · 亻 (person radical) + 侯-related right — a person attending and waiting · HSK 1

Where 候 comes from

候 shows a person 亻 in attendance — its old duty was watching and waiting: sentries watched the seasons, courtiers awaited the lord. Waiting and time fused into one character.

候 in Chinese culture

候 completes 时候 (time — with 时 you learned): 什么时候? is 'when?'. 气候 is climate — the sky's long waiting pattern; 问候 is to send greetings — words that attend on someone. The old world lives inside it: 候鸟 are migratory birds, 'birds that wait for seasons'. Wherever 候 appears, someone or something is attending patiently.

Example

时候 shíhou — time / moment

你什么时候来?
Nǐ shénme shíhou lái?
When are you coming?

How to remember it

A person 亻 standing watch — WAITING through TIME.

候鸟 'waiting birds' — migratory birds are named for their patience with seasons, not their flight.

Same sound, different tones

1st hōu
to snore (colloquial)
2nd hóu
monkey
4th hòu
to wait

Words unlocked by 候

时候 shíhou
time
气候 qìhòu
climate
问候 wènhòu
to send greetings
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