此刻

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 此刻,全场一片寂静。▶ —
   At this moment, the whole hall fell silent.
2. 此刻我才明白他的用意。▶ —
   Only at this moment did I grasp his intention.

Collocations

Mnemonic

此 cǐ "this" + 刻 kè "a moment, to carve": this moment, i.e. right now, at this instant. Korean renders it as "this moment, now". A somewhat formal expression pointing to the very moment of speaking (此时此刻 this very moment). It is more literary and emphatic than the everyday 现在 (now). 刻 originally means "to carve" but, from the time unit (一刻 = 15 minutes), extends to "a short moment". 此 means "this" (此地 this place).

Related

Quick check

1. What is the tone of 此刻 versus 现在?

   • a literary, emphatic "this moment"
   • some future time
   • the distant past
   • a vague someday