Chinese word

半夜

Pronunciation

Pinyinbàn yè

Meaning

  • nounmiddle of the night

Example

他半夜起床上厕所。tā bàn yè qǐ chuáng shàng cè suǒ

He gets up to use the toilet in the middle of the night.

Illustration for 半夜 (middle of the night)

More examples

我半夜吃东西。wǒ bàn yè chī dōng xī

I eat in the middle of the night.

Core concept

A dark, still stretch of nighttime after the evening has ended and before morning begins.

Common phrases

  • 半夜起床bàn yè qǐ chuáng

    get up in the middle of the night

  • 半夜吃东西bàn yè chī dōng xī

    eat in the middle of the night

  • 半夜睡不着bàn yè shuì bù zhe

    be unable to sleep in the middle of the night

Similar words

夜里yè lǐ: The nighttime period when it is dark and quiet.
午夜wǔ yè: The middle point of the night, usually around 12:00 a.m.

Definition in Chinese

指夜里较晚的一段时间，多用于口语，含义接近夜中或深夜。zhǐ yè lǐ jiào wǎn de yí duàn shí jiān duō yòng yú kóu yǔ hán yì jiē jìn yè zhōng huò shēn yè

Word origin

半夜 (bànyè, "middle of the night") is formed from 半 (bàn, "half") + 夜 (yè, "night"), a transparent combination that places the time in the center of the night.

Usage tips

  • English speakers often use midnight for one exact clock time, but this word can describe a very late event before or after 12:00.

Other meanings

  • late at nightnoun
  • midnightnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word