当晚

• Pinyin: dàng wǎn
• Hanzi breakdown: 当 = that, the same; 晚 = 日 + 免 (evening, night)

Meaning

That evening; the evening of the day in question. Refers back to a specific evening already established in context.

A temporal reference used in narrative, journalism, and formal writing to situate events on a specific evening. Similar to 当日 (that day) but specifically for evenings. More formal than 那天晚上.

Examples

1. 案发当晚，嫌疑人的行踪成为警方调查的核心焦点。 On the night of the incident, the suspect's whereabouts became the central focus of the police investigation.
2. 合同签署当晚，双方举行了一场简短的庆祝晚宴。 On the evening the contract was signed, the two sides held a brief celebratory dinner.
3. 当晚的演出座无虚席，观众反应十分热烈。 That evening's performance was sold out, and the audience response was extremely enthusiastic.

Usage Guide

Context: narrative, journalism, legal reports

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 据目击者描述，当晚现场人群秩序混乱，场面一度失控。(According to witnesses, the crowd at the scene that evening was in disorder and the situation temporarily got out of control.)
• 当晚气温骤降，救援队伍在极端天气中坚持完成了搜救工作。(That evening, temperatures plummeted sharply, but the rescue team persisted and completed the search in extreme weather.)

Don't Say

• 当晚我要去 — 当晚 references a contextually established evening; use 今晚 for this coming evening or 明晚 for tomorrow evening

Origin & History

当 (that particular) + 晚 (evening)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal