开夜车

• Pinyin: kāi yè chē
• Hanzi breakdown: 开 = to drive/operate; 夜 = 亠 + 亻+ 夕, night; 车 = pictograph of vehicle

Meaning

To burn the midnight oil; to work late into the night. Working or studying through the night.

A colloquial expression for staying up late to work or study, often before deadlines or exams. Literally means 'to drive a night car/train' — a metaphor for working when others are asleep. Similar to English 'burning the midnight oil' or 'pulling an all-nighter.'

Examples

1. 考试前一天他开夜车复习到凌晨三点才睡。 The night before the exam, he burned the midnight oil reviewing until 3 AM before sleeping.
2. 项目deadline快到了，整个团队都在开夜车赶进度。 The project deadline is coming up, and the whole team is working late to catch up.
3. 长期开夜车对身体不好，还是要保持规律作息。 Constantly pulling all-nighters is bad for your health; you should maintain a regular schedule.

Usage Guide

Context: work, study, everyday

Tone: colloquial

Do Say

• 别老开夜车，对身体不好。(Don't always pull all-nighters; it's bad for your health.)
• 没办法，只能开夜车赶工了。(No choice; we have to burn the midnight oil to meet the deadline.)

Don't Say

• 在正式场合用开夜车 (开夜车 is colloquial — in formal contexts use 熬夜工作 or 加班到深夜)

Origin & History

Metaphor from driving late at night (开夜车 = drive night vehicle). Extended to mean working when one should be sleeping.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal