戌时初白芷便已离开
“Bai Zhi left during the early Xu hour.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
慧无称
“Huiwu claimed that”
戌时初 白芷 便已离开
“Bai Zhi left during the early Xu hour.”
分明是在撒谎
“He was clearly lying.”
Direct spoken expression in this communicative setting.
Traditional Chinese timekeeping divides the day into twelve two-hour periods (shichen); 'Xu' corresponds roughly to 7:00 PM–9:00 PM.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
at the beginning of the Xu hour (around 7:00 PM)
A traditional Chinese two-hour time system marker, common in historical or period dramas.
already; as early as
A formal and literary equivalent of 已经 to indicate that an action was completed early.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“Bai Zhi would be there at that hour,”
“How long have you known Bai Zhi?”
“what would happen to Bai Zhi if the authorities caught you?”
“Could Bai Zhi have found out”
“Maybe Bai Zhi can't bear children.”
“Also, when I was at Bai Zhi's house,”