晚上

• Pinyin: wǎn shang
• Hanzi breakdown: 晚 = evening/late; 上 = on/upon — 'on the evening'

Meaning

Evening; night. The time period from after sunset until bedtime.

A common time word used in everyday conversation. Typically refers to roughly 6 PM to midnight. Used in greetings such as 晚上好 (good evening). Can be placed before or after the subject in a sentence as a time phrase.

Examples

1. 晚上我喜欢看书。 I like to read in the evening.
2. 今天晚上你有空吗？ Are you free tonight?
3. 晚上八点我们去看电影。 Let's go see a movie at eight tonight.

Usage Guide

Context: time, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 晚上好！(Good evening!)
• 昨天晚上你做了什么？(What did you do last night?)

Don't Say

• 在晚上我看书。(Unnatural — say 晚上我看书 or 我晚上看书; time words in Chinese usually do not need 在 before them)

Origin & History

A compound of 晚 (evening/late) and 上 (on/upon), functioning as a time word meaning 'in the evening.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal