夜

• Pinyin: yè
• Hanzi breakdown: 夜 = 亠 (top radical) + 亻 (person) + 夕 (evening), depicting a person at night

Meaning

Night; nighttime. The period of darkness between sunset and sunrise.

A slightly more literary or formal way to say night compared to 晚上. Often used in compound words like 夜里 (at night), 夜晚 (nighttime), 半夜 (midnight), and 深夜 (late at night). Can stand alone in more poetic or written contexts.

Examples

1. 这里的夜很安静，可以听到虫子的声音。 The night is very quiet here — you can hear the insects.
2. 他工作到深夜才回家。 He didn't go home until late at night after working.
3. 夏天的夜比冬天的短。 Summer nights are shorter than winter nights.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, literary

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 昨天夜里下了一场大雨。(It rained heavily last night.)
• 除夕夜我们全家一起吃饭。(On New Year's Eve, our whole family eats together.)

Don't Say

• 我夜去超市买东西了。(Don't use 夜 alone as a time word in everyday speech — say 晚上 or 夜里 instead.)

Origin & History

Pictographic character originally depicting a person (亻) under the moon at night. The modern form retains the radical 亠 (head/roof) with 夕 (evening) as a component.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal