日夜

• Pinyin: rì yè
• Hanzi breakdown: 日 = pictograph of the sun; 夜 = 亠 (top) + 亻(person) + 夕 (evening) — night

Meaning

Day and night; around the clock. Continuously without stopping.

Used to emphasize continuous effort or activity happening without rest. Often appears in phrases like 日夜不停 (day and night without stopping), 日夜操劳 (working hard day and night), and 日夜兼程 (traveling day and night). More literary than 全天候.

Examples

1. 建筑工人日夜赶工，确保项目按时完成。 Construction workers worked day and night to ensure the project was completed on time.
2. 医护人员日夜奋战在抗疫第一线。 Medical staff fought day and night on the front lines of the pandemic response.
3. 为了这次考试，她日夜不停地复习。 For this exam, she reviewed non-stop day and night.

Usage Guide

Context: effort, dedication, time

Tone: determined

Do Say

• 他们日夜奋斗。(They fought day and night.)
• 日夜思念你。(Missing you day and night.)

Don't Say

• 不要用'日夜'形容短暂的活动 (日夜 implies extended, continuous effort — don't use it for brief activities)

Origin & History

Simple compound of 日 (day, sun) and 夜 (night). Together they mean both day and night, emphasizing continuous activity.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal