Chinese Conversation · Level 29
90 words
Chinese word
熬夜
Pronunciation
Pinyináo yè
Meaning
- verbstay up late
Example
我昨晚又熬夜了。wǒ zuó wǎn yòu áo yè le
I stayed up late again last night.
More examples
为了通过考试，她整晚熬夜复习。wèi le tōng guò kǎo shì tā zhéng wǎn áo yè fù xí
To pass the exam, she stayed up all night studying.
Core concept
A tired person keeps crossing the boundary between evening and morning instead of stopping to sleep.
Common phrases
熬夜复习áo yè fù xí
stay up late to study
熬夜看书áo yè kàn shū
stay up late to read
熬夜玩手机áo yè wán shǒu jī
stay up late playing on one's phone
Similar words
晚睡wǎn shuì: Go to bed late at night.
通宵tōng xiāo: Stay awake all night, usually to finish an activity or reach a goal.
失眠shī mián: Be unable to fall asleep or stay asleep when trying to rest.
Definition in Chinese
在夜间勉强坚持不睡，常带有牺牲休息或忍受疲劳的含义，常见原因为加班、复习或娱乐。zài yè jiān mián qiǎng jiān chí bú shuì cháng dài yǒu xī shēng xiū xī huò rěn shòu pí láo de hán yì cháng jiàn yuán yīn wèi jiā bān fù xí huò yú lè
Word origin
熬夜 (áoyè, "stay up late") joins 熬 (áo, "endure") to 夜 (yè, "night"); 熬 once referred to cooking slowly over low heat and later developed the sense of enduring.
Usage tips
- English can describe a late bedtime without stating that sleep was sacrificed, but this Chinese verb often highlights the cost of remaining awake.
Other meanings
- stay up all nightverb
- all-nighternoun
Opposites
- 早睡zǎo shuìgo to bed earlyverb
Related words
- 熬夜族áo yè zúnight owlnoun