及时
jíshí · HSK 3
in time
⏰ 及 = reach/attain + 时 = time → reaching the right time = timely
及 means to reach or attain, and 时 means time or hour. Together they describe something that arrives at the right moment — prompt, on time, before it's too late.
及 — hand 又 reaching person 人
Originally a pictograph showing a hand (又) catching or reaching a person from behind, depicting the act of catching up to someone. The core meaning 'to reach' or 'to catch up to' extended to 'and' (reaching/including more items) and 'in time for'. Modern form simplifies the person and hand into connected strokes.
时 — sun 日 + temple/measure 寺
Originally a phono-semantic compound: 日 (sun) gives the meaning of time or season, while 寺 (shí) supplies the sound. Early forms used 之 as the phonetic before 寺 replaced it. The core sense 'season, time, hour' has stayed stable since ancient Chinese.