时
shí · HSK 3
time
⏰ 日 sun + 寸 inch = sun's inch of shadow on a sundial = time
时 combines 日 (sun) with 寸 (inch/measure). The original sense was measuring time by the sun's movement, like inches of shadow on a sundial. Simplified from 時. Sounds like 'shrr'.
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.