耗时
hào shí · HSK 7
to take a period of
⏳ 耗 (consume/expend) + 时 (time) = consumes time; a task that eats up the clock
耗 means to use up or drain a resource; 时 is time. Together they label something that takes a long stretch of time. Also used to state a duration: this 耗时 three hours = this took three hours.
耗 — 耒 plow + 毛 hair/fur
Originally written with 耒 (plow) as the semantic component and 毛 (hair) as the phonetic, suggesting the wearing down or consumption of farming tools through use. The meaning extended from depleting resources to the broader senses of 'consume,' 'waste,' and 'news/tidings' (as in 噩耗).
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.