Chinese word

午夜

Pronunciation

Pinyinwǔ yè

Meaning

  • nounmidnight

Example

他在午夜打电话给我。tā zài wǔ yè dǎ diàn huà gěi wǒ

He called me at midnight.

Illustration for 午夜 (midnight)

More examples

他在午夜醒来。tā zài wǔ yè xǐng lái

He woke up at midnight.

Core concept

The quiet middle of the night around the boundary between two calendar days.

Common phrases

  • 在午夜zài wǔ yè

    at midnight

  • 午夜过后wǔ yè guò hòu

    after midnight

Similar words

半夜bàn yè: A casual expression for the middle part of the night.
深夜shēn yè: The late, quiet part of the night.
凌晨líng chén: The nighttime hours before the sky begins to grow light.
夜里yè lǐ: Nighttime as a whole, from when it gets dark until morning.

Definition in Chinese

午夜是夜里临近零点的时间点或一段时间，常用来表示夜深人静的时候。wǔ yè shì yè lǐ lín jìn líng diǎn de shí jiān diǎn huò yí duàn shí jiān cháng yòng lái biǎo shì yè shēn rén jìng de shí hòu

Word origin

午夜 (wǔyè, "midnight") is formed from 午 (wǔ, "noon") + 夜 (yè, "night"), using 午's central-time sense to name the middle of the night.

Usage tips

  • English midnight often suggests one exact instant, but this Chinese word can also cover the short period around that point.

Opposites

Word lists with this word