bàn tiān
half day
我等了半天，他还没来。
wǒ děngle bàntiān, tā hái méi lái.
I waited for half a day, but he still hasn't come.
这件衣服我找了半天，终于找到了。
zhè jiàn yīfu wǒ zhǎole bàntiān, zhōngyú zhǎodàole.
I looked for this dress for half a day, and finally found it.
我们走了半天，才走到山顶。
wǒmen zǒule bàntiān, cái zǒudào shāndǐng.
We walked for half a day before we reached the top of the mountain.
半日 (bàn rì)
half a day
半天 (bàn tiān)
half a day
半晌 (bàn xiǎng)
a short while
整天 (zhěngtiān)
all day
一整天 (yīzhěngtiān)
a whole day
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The Chinese word 半天 (bàntiān) literally means "half a day". It is composed of two characters: 半 (bàn), meaning "half", and 天 (tiān), meaning "day". The word 半天 can be used to refer to a period of time that is half a day long, or it can be used figuratively to refer to a short period of time. For example, someone might say 我明天半天有空 (wǒ míngtiān bàntiān yǒu kòng), which means "I'm free for half a day tomorrow". The word 半天 can also be used in a more general sense to refer to the sky. For example, someone might say 今天半天很蓝 (jīntiān bàntiān hěn lán), which means "The sky is very blue today".
