<p>17时15分左右 means <em>it could be 17时16分, 17时14分，etc.</em> The author are unsure about the exact <em><strong>minute</strong></em> in this case. But he knows it's around 15.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-30T08:56:04.773Z
2021-04-30T08:56:04.773Z
dan
<p>It means “around 17:15”, which is ranged from 17:10 to 17:20.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-10T00:14:50.810Z
2021-05-10T00:14:50.810Z
Victor
<p>There is nothing wrong they put it there, but not necessary. The time is already precise enough without using '左右‘, since readers won't care about seconds. Readers don't care about minutes or hours in these kind of news I would say. Normally people would say '17时左右'（around 17 o'clock), which is already good enough.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-27T14:16:12.637Z
2021-04-27T16:11:43.353Z
2021-04-27T16:11:43.353Z
Jimmy
<p>It just means &quot;around&quot;.</p>
<p>In this case 左右 applies to the preceding &quot;17时15分&quot;, to express that the time is not exact. The writer notes that there is a margin of error or uncertainty.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>当时时间25日17时15分左右</p>
<p>Today around 17:15 local time</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The English translation also conveys the same meaning. You state a time, 5:15 PM, but also warn readers that it may be imprecise up to a certain degree.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-28T13:47:36.013Z
2021-04-28T13:47:36.013Z
blackgreen
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/kKJiym.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/kKJiym.jpg" alt="A photo of a newspaper showing a paragraph beginning with 当地时间25日17时15分左右" /></a></p>
<p>当地时间<strong>25日17时15分左右</strong>，……</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I was reading a newspaper, and stumbled upon the above.  I'm puzzled as to why someone would state a time as precisely as 25日17时15分 then add <a href="https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?wdqb=%E5%B7%A6%E5%8F%B3" rel="nofollow noreferrer">左右</a> (= &quot;approximately&quot;) afterwards.  I'm wondering if the author is just exceptionally pedantic, or if there's an actual reason to add 左右 I'm missing.</p>
<p><strong>Question</strong>: Why add 左右 to the precisely stated time 25日17时15分左右?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-27T12:58:03.750Z
Personally, I would read the sentence's intent as `下午五點一刻左右` (*About quarter-past five in the afternoon*).
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-27T13:06:33.670Z
The use of Arabic numerals down to the nearest minute makes it feel precise. Conversely, no one would doubt the logicality / necessity of adding 左右 after 下午五時 or 下午五時半 because they are 'cruder' expressions of time. (They have a larger, more perceptible maximum absolute error, so to speak.) Personally, I would consider the quoted sentence redundant, somewhat ill-constructed (病句).
L Parker
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-27T23:29:48.750Z
This is bad writing/reporting. Because the reporter is reporting a future activity that will take place at a defined/precise time. The approximation (左右) is appropriate if reporting an activity that was completed in the past, or in the future but without giving the exact time (see example in dROOOze's comment).
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-29T00:03:58.383Z
Simply put, just to make it less precise. Is it really 15 after 5? Could it be 14 or 13 after 5? Maybe 16,17 after 5?
joehua
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-10T15:17:05.440Z
I would take it like we see in English-language articles or reports. I've even seen English usage like "approximately 12:17"; a specific time is reported (such as based on eyewitness accounts), but there is the high likelihood the incident did not occur at exactly 12:17. Having a precise value that is then given a range of uncertainty is better than just an imprecise value. For example, saying something has a mass of 12.5g+/-1g is better than saying 13g (which doesn't have the correct central value, though the uncertainty is still 1g) and better than 12.5g, which gives too little uncertainty.
2ndQuantized
<usage><meaning-in-context><time>
Why add 左右 ("approximately") to the precisely stated time 25日17时15分左右?
# Why add 左右 ("approximately") to the precisely stated time 25日17时15分左右?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-04-27)

> [![A photo of a newspaper showing a paragraph beginning with 当地时间25日17时15分左右](https://i.sstatic.net/kKJiym.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/kKJiym.jpg)
>
> 当地时间**25日17时15分左右**，……

I was reading a newspaper, and stumbled upon the above. I'm puzzled as to why someone would state a time as precisely as 25日17时15分 then add [左右](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?wdqb=%E5%B7%A6%E5%8F%B3) (= "approximately") afterwards. I'm wondering if the author is just exceptionally pedantic, or if there's an actual reason to add 左右 I'm missing.

**Question**: Why add 左右 to the precisely stated time 25日17时15分左右?

**Tags:** usage, meaning-in-context, time
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Personally, I would read the sentence's intent as `下午五點一刻左右` (*About quarter-past five in the afternoon*).  
> **username_2**: The use of Arabic numerals down to the nearest minute makes it feel precise. Conversely, no one would doubt the logicality / necessity of adding 左右 after 下午五時 or 下午五時半 because they are 'cruder' expressions of time. (They have a larger, more perceptible maximum absolute error, so to speak.) Personally, I would consider the quoted sentence redundant, somewhat ill-constructed (病句).  
> **username_3**: This is bad writing/reporting. Because the reporter is reporting a future activity that will take place at a defined/precise time. The approximation (左右) is appropriate if reporting an activity that was completed in the past, or in the future but without giving the exact time (see example in dROOOze's comment).  
> **username_4**: Simply put, just to make it less precise. Is it really 15 after 5? Could it be 14 or 13 after 5? Maybe 16,17 after 5?  
> **username_5**: I would take it like we see in English-language articles or reports. I've even seen English usage like "approximately 12:17"; a specific time is reported (such as based on eyewitness accounts), but there is the high likelihood the incident did not occur at exactly 12:17. Having a precise value that is then given a range of uncertainty is better than just an imprecise value. For example, saying something has a mass of 12.5g+/-1g is better than saying 13g (which doesn't have the correct central value, though the uncertainty is still 1g) and better than 12.5g, which gives too little uncertainty.  

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## 4 answers

### Answer by username_9 on 2021-04-28. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

It just means "around".

In this case 左右 applies to the preceding "17时15分", to express that the time is not exact. The writer notes that there is a margin of error or uncertainty.

> 当时时间25日17时15分左右
>
> Today around 17:15 local time

The English translation also conveys the same meaning. You state a time, 5:15 PM, but also warn readers that it may be imprecise up to a certain degree.


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### Answer by username_6 on 2021-04-30. Score: 2

17时15分左右 means *it could be 17时16分, 17时14分，etc.* The author are unsure about the exact ***minute*** in this case. But he knows it's around 15.


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### Answer by username_7 on 2021-05-10. Score: 2

It means “around 17:15”, which is ranged from 17:10 to 17:20.


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### Answer by username_8 on 2021-04-27. Score: 2

There is nothing wrong they put it there, but not necessary. The time is already precise enough without using '左右‘, since readers won't care about seconds. Readers don't care about minutes or hours in these kind of news I would say. Normally people would say '17时左右'（around 17 o'clock), which is already good enough.


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