'下次' (xià cì) literally combines '下' (xià), meaning 'next' or 'down', and '次' (cì), meaning 'time' or 'occasion'. Together, it means 'next time' — referring to the upcoming instance of an event, activity, or situation. It functions primarily as a noun (e.g., '下次见面') but often acts adverbially without a verb (e.g., '下次再说'), modifying the entire clause.

This term is neutral in register and widely used in both spoken and written Chinese. It implies temporal proximity — not necessarily immediate, but the next logical occurrence in a sequence. Unlike '下一次' (which is more formal and explicit), '下次' is concise and conversational, commonly heard in everyday exchanges about plans, apologies, promises, or suggestions. It rarely stands alone as a sentence; instead, it appears with verbs like 来 (come), 见 (meet), 说 (say), or 做 (do) to specify what will happen next time.