深夜 shēnyè very late at night
How to remember 深夜: 深 deep + 夜 night = very late at night.
Characters
How it is used
- Late at night / the dead of night - 深夜工作 (shēnyè gōngzuò) work late into the night, 深夜食堂 (shēnyè shítáng) late-night diner.
- Refers to the deep, late hours of night (roughly after midnight); 深 (deep) + 夜 (night).
- Contrast 半夜 (bànyè, midnight/middle of the night); 深夜 is the general late-night stretch.
Example sentences
- 过去，我父亲常常喝酒直到深夜。 Guòqù, wǒ fùqīn chángcháng hējiǔ zhídào shēnyè.My father used to drink till late at night.