How common it is
时差 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
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Pronunciation focus
Say shí chā slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
“时差”指不同地方的时间差异，比如中国和美国的时间不一样。
“shí chā” zhǐ bù tóng dì fāng de shí jiān chā yì, bǐ rú zhōng guó hé měi guó de shí jiān bù yī yàng.
"Time difference" refers to the difference in time between different places, such as the time difference between China and the United States.
Context note
当我们去很远的地方旅行时，可能会感到时差，因为身体需要适应新的时间。
Dāng wǒ men qù hěn yuǎn de dì fāng lǚ xíng shí, kě néng huì gǎn dào shí chā, yīn wèi shēn tǐ xū yào shì yìng xīn de shí jiān.
When we travel to faraway places, we might feel jet lag because our body needs to adjust to the new time.
5 examples
中国和美国的时差很大。
zhōng guó hé měi guó de shí chā hěn dà。
The time difference between China and the United States is big.
因为时差，我晚上很早就困了。
yīn wèi shí chā， wǒ wǎn shàng hěn zǎo jiù kùn le。
Because of the time difference, I got sleepy very early in the evening.
坐飞机去日本，时差只有一小时。
zuò fēi jī qù rì běn， shí chā zhǐ yǒu yì xiǎo shí。
Taking a plane to Japan, the time difference is only one hour.
时差让我白天想睡觉。
shí chā ràng wǒ bái tiān xiǎng shuì jiào。
The time difference makes me want to sleep during the day.
爸爸出差回来，因为时差很累。
bà ba chū chāi huí lái， yīn wèi shí chā hěn lèi。
Dad came back from a business trip and was very tired because of the time difference.
5 mini stories
小明去美国玩，因为时差，他晚上睡不着。
xiǎo míng qù měi guó wán， yīn wèi shí chā， tā wǎn shàng shuì bù zhe。
Xiaoming went to the United States to play, and because of the time difference, he couldn't sleep at night.
时差让他白天很困，但他还是开心地参观了公园。
shí chā ràng tā bái tiān hěn kùn， dàn tā hái shì kāi xīn dì cān guān le gōng yuán。
The time difference made him very sleepy during the day, but he still happily visited the park.
小红从英国回来，时差让她早上起不来。
xiǎo hóng cóng yīng guó huí lái， shí chā ràng tā zǎo shàng qǐ bù lái。
Xiaohong came back from the UK, and the time difference made her unable to get up in the morning.
妈妈告诉小红，时差过几天就会好。
mā ma gào sù xiǎo hóng， shí chā guò jǐ tiān jiù huì hǎo。
Mom told Xiaohong that the time difference would be fine in a few days.
小华第一次坐飞机，他问爸爸什么是时差。
xiǎo huá dì yī cì zuò fēi jī， tā wèn bà ba shén me shì shí chā。
Xiaohua took a plane for the first time, and he asked his dad what time difference was.