彻夜

• Pinyin: chè yè
• Hanzi breakdown: 彻 = 彳 (step) + 育 (rear) + 攵 (action); 夜 = pictograph of night with moon

Meaning

All night; throughout the night. An adverb indicating something lasts the entire night.

More literary than 整夜. Often used with verbs like 工作, 不眠, 长谈 to describe activities that continue through the night. Common in written Chinese.

Examples

1. 医生们彻夜抢救重伤患者。 The doctors worked through the night to save the seriously injured patients.
2. 他彻夜未眠，一直在思考这个问题。 He stayed awake all night, thinking about this problem.
3. 大楼里的灯彻夜通明。 The lights in the building stayed on all night.

Usage Guide

Context: literary, news, formal writing

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 他们彻夜长谈，聊到天亮。(They talked all night until dawn.)
• 消防员彻夜扑救山火。(Firefighters fought the wildfire all night.)

Don't Say

• 我彻夜睡觉 (彻夜 implies staying awake — sleeping all night is just normal sleeping)

Origin & History

Compound of 彻 (thorough, through) and 夜 (night). Literally 'thoroughly through the night.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal