Composed of 时 (shí, "time; season"), itself from Old Chinese *djɨ, related to the sun's movement, and 间 (jiān, "between; space; interval"), from a character depicting moonlight shining through a door gap. Together they convey the idea of a span or interval of time.

Chinese culture has long placed high value on the efficient use of time — the proverb 时间就是金钱 (shíjiān jiùshì jīnqián, "time is money") is extremely common in modern China, popularized especially during the economic reforms of the 1980s. Note that 时间 refers to time as an abstract or measurable quantity ("I don't have time"), while 时候 (shíhou) refers to a specific moment or period ("when I was young"). Mixing these up is a very common beginner error.