Usage of 今
The character 今 primarily means "now" or "current" and is often used to indicate the present time. It appears in words like 今天 (today), 今年 (this year), and 今晚 (tonight).
Common Collocations
These collocations are very frequent in daily conversation and writing.
Nuances and Usage
今 is often used in formal or written contexts to emphasize the current moment or day. It can also appear in time expressions to specify a particular part of the current day, such as 今早 (this morning) or 今晚 (this evening).
Common Confusions
Don't confuse 今 with 现 (xiàn), which also relates to "now" but is more often used in compound words like 现在 (xiànzài, now). 今 tends to be more concise and appears in fixed expressions.
Summary
Use 今 to talk about the present time, especially in fixed time expressions. It helps specify "this" day, year, or moment clearly and is a key character for discussing time in Mandarin.