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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing 'day' with 天 (tiān)

    Numbers & Quantity
    Time Expressions

    Structure

    Number + 天 / Time Word + 天

    Explanation

    天 (tiān) means "day" or "sky" and is one of the most versatile characters in Chinese. When referring to time, it serves as a measure word for days, as in 三天 (three days), and appears in time words like 今天 (today) and 明天 (tomorrow). It can also mean "sky" or "heaven" in other contexts.

    Examples

    • 我还有三天就放假了。

      Wǒ hái yǒu sān tiān jiù fàngjià le.

      I have just three more days until my vacation.

    • 今天天气真好,我们去公园吧。

      Jīntiān tiānqì zhēn hǎo, wǒmen qù gōngyuán ba.

      The weather is really nice today; let's go to the park.

    • 他每天早上六点起床跑步。

      Tā měi tiān zǎoshang liù diǎn qǐchuáng pǎobù.

      He gets up at six every morning to go running.