半夜

bàn yè

midnight

HSK Level 2

Example Sentences

Synonyms

Antonyms

白天 (bái tiān)

daytime

上午 (shàng wǔ)

morning

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Etymology & Components

The Chinese word 半夜 (bànyè) literally means "half night" and refers to the middle of the night. It is composed of two characters: 半 (bàn), meaning "half", and 夜 (yè), meaning "night". The word 半夜 is often used to describe the time between 11pm and 1am, when most people are asleep. It can also be used more generally to refer to the late hours of the night.The character 半 (bàn) is composed of two parts: the radical 戈 (gē), which represents a weapon, and the phonetic component 办 (bàn). The radical 戈 is used to indicate that the character is related to cutting or dividing, while the phonetic component 办 is used to indicate the pronunciation of the character.The character 夜 (yè) is composed of two parts: the radical 月 (yuè), which represents the moon, and the phonetic component 页 (yè). The radical 月 is used to indicate that the character is related to the night, while the phonetic component 页 is used to indicate the pronunciation of the character.The word 半夜 (bànyè) is a common word in Chinese and is used in a variety of contexts. It can be used to describe the time of night, to talk about sleep, or to create a sense of atmosphere.