晴天

• Pinyin: qíng tiān
• Hanzi breakdown: 晴 (qíng) — sunny, clear; 天 (tiān) — day, sky

Meaning

Sunny day; clear day; fine weather day. A day when the sky is clear and the sun is shining.

The common word for a day with clear skies and sunshine. Opposite of 阴天 (cloudy day) and 雨天 (rainy day). Used in weather discussions, plans, and everyday conversation. The phrase 晴天霹雳 (thunderbolt on a sunny day) means a sudden shock or unexpected bad news.

Examples

1. 今天是个大晴天。 Today is a beautiful sunny day.
2. 晴天的时候我喜欢出去散步。 I like to go for a walk when it's sunny.
3. 连续好几个晴天了。 There have been sunny days for several days in a row.

Usage Guide

Context: weather, plans, daily life

Tone: positive

Do Say

• 明天是晴天，我们去爬山吧。(Tomorrow is sunny — let's go hiking.)
• 终于等到晴天了！(We finally got a sunny day!)

Don't Say

• 不要把晴天和好天气完全等同 (晴天 specifically means clear sunny skies — 好天气 is broader and can include pleasant cloudy days; they overlap but are not identical)

Origin & History

晴 (qíng, clear/sunny) + 天 (tiān, day/sky). A straightforward compound meaning 'sunny day' or 'clear sky day.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal