半夜 bànyè midnight
midnight; in the middle of the night
How to remember 半夜: 半 half + 夜 night = midnight.
Characters
How it is used
- The middle of the night / small hours - 半夜醒来 (bànyè xǐnglái) wake in the middle of the night; 大半夜的 (dà bànyè de) 'at this ungodly hour'.
- Refers roughly to midnight-to-pre-dawn, when you're expected to be asleep; contrast 午夜 (wǔyè), the precise stroke of midnight.
- Common intensifier 三更半夜 (sāngēng-bànyè) in the dead of night.
Example sentences
- 他往往工作到半夜。 Tā wǎngwǎng gōngzuò dào bànyè.He often works until midnight.
- 三更半夜不睡觉，你在干嘛呢？ Sāngēngbànyè bú shuìjiào, nǐ zài gànmá ne?It's the middle of the night. Why aren't you asleep?