半天 bàntiān a long time, half a day
half of the day; a long time; quite a while; midair
How to remember 半天: 半 half + 天 day = a long time, half a day.
Characters
How it is used
- Literally half a day - 半天班 (bàntiān bān) a half-day shift.
- But its most common use is figurative: 'ages, quite a while' - 等了半天 (děngle bàntiān) waited forever; 说了半天 (shuōle bàntiān) went on and on.
- Tone of mild impatience: 找了半天才找到 (zhǎole bàntiān cái zhǎodào) searched forever before finding it.
Example sentences
- 我等了你半天了！ Wǒ děng le nǐ bàntiān le!I have been waiting for you for ages!