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Usages of xiàwǔ
她 下午 才 下班。tā xiàwǔ cái xiàbān.
She doesn’t get off work until the afternoon.
我 下班 以后 走, 你 下午 再 打 电话。wǒ xiàbān yǐhòu zǒu, nǐ xiàwǔ zài dǎ diànhuà.
I’ll leave after work; call again in the afternoon.
我 现在 要 上班 了, 你 下午 再 来。wǒ xiànzài yào shàngbān le, nǐ xiàwǔ zài lái.
I need to go to work now; come again in the afternoon.
他 很 认真 地 学习, 下午 才 喝 茶。tā hěn rènzhēn de xuéxí, xiàwǔ cái hē chá.
He studies very seriously; he only drinks tea in the afternoon.
我们 一直 在 学习, 下午 才 吃 午饭。wǒmen yìzhí zài xuéxí, xiàwǔ cái chī wǔfàn.
We were studying the whole time and only ate lunch in the afternoon.
今天 上午 我 在 公司 开会, 下午 才 有空。jīntiān shàngwǔ wǒ zài gōngsī kāihuì, xiàwǔ cái yǒukòng.
This morning I had a meeting at the company; I only have free time in the afternoon.
昨天 下 午 校长 在 教学楼 门口 跟 家长 们 聊天。zuótiān xiàwǔ xiàozhǎng zài jiàoxuélóu ménkǒu gēn jiāzhǎng men liáotiān.
Yesterday afternoon the principal chatted with the parents at the entrance of the classroom building.
Test yourself: What does xiàwǔ mean?
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