蒙學漢文初階 第一百二課 Beginning Chinese - Entry Level Lesson #102 日午兒至園中散步時 day hour_of_wu child approach garden inside scatter walk time 黑雲濃密 black clouds thick dense 天色若暮 sky color like dusk/night 雷聲電光 thunder sound lightning light 一時交作 one time come_together/intersect to_make 懼而逃歸 fear and escape return 方入門 just enter door 大雨至矣 big rain came [final particle] At noon, when a child went for a stroll in the garden, clouds became black, heavy and dense. The sky was like the night. Suddenly the thunder came clashing with lightning. [He grew in] fear and hurried return home. Just as he entered through the door, the big rains came. Notes: 1. A Chinese day is divided into twelve hours. Each hour is approximately equivalent to two of the modern hour. The hour of Wu is at noon. An astrological animal and direction are associated with them. 刻 is usually translated as "quarter of the hour". This is because of a time system known as the 百刻 (Hundred Marked) where the day is divided into 100 parts and that it corresponds to 14.4 minutes. The term is derived on the carved mark on the water clock. 子 11pm - 1am rat N 丑 1 - 3 ox NNE 寅 3 - 5tiger ENE 卯 5 - 7 E rabbit 辰 7 - 9 ESE dragon 巳 9 - 11 SSE snake 午 11am - 1pm S horse 未 1 - 3 SSW sheep 申 3 - 5 WSW monkey 酉 5 - 7 W chicken 戌 7 - 9 WNW dog 亥 9 - 11 NNW pig 2. There are many meanings of矣. Depending on context, it can mean "alas", "ah" or here the modern equivalent is了 a past indicator. See Lessons #20, #65 and #78