zuó tiān
yesterday
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昨天我去了公园。
Zuótiān wǒ qùle gōngyuán.
Yesterday I went to the park.
昨天下了很大的雨。
Zuótiān xiàle hěn dà de yǔ.
Yesterday it rained heavily.
昨天我吃了很多好吃的。
Zuótiān wǒ chīle hěn duō hǎochī de.
Yesterday I ate a lot of delicious food.
昨日 (zuó rì)
yesterday
前天 (qián tiān)
the day before yesterday
昨儿 (zuó er)
yesterday
今天 (jīntiān)
today
明天 (míngtiān)
tomorrow
The Chinese word 昨天 (zuótiān) for "yesterday" is composed of two characters: 昨 (zuó) and 天 (tiān). The character 昨 is a pictograph depicting a person with a hand covering their eyes, representing the idea of "darkness" or "night". The character 天 is a pictograph of a person with their arms raised, representing the sky or heaven. Together, the two characters 昨天 literally mean "the day before the sky", or "the day before today". This compound word has been used in Chinese for centuries to refer to the previous day.
