下午

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The Chinese word 下午 (xiàwǔ) is composed of two characters: 下 (xià), meaning "down," and 午 (wǔ), meaning "noon." Together, they literally mean "after noon," or "afternoon."The character 下 (xià) is a pictograph of a person descending from a ladder. It is also used in other words related to descending or going down, such as 下降 (xiàjiàng, "to descend"), 下楼 (xiàlóu, "to go downstairs"), and 下雨 (xiàyǔ, "to rain").The character 午 (wǔ) is a pictograph of a sun directly above the horizon. It is also used in other words related to noon or midday, such as 中午 (zhōngwǔ, "noon"), 午饭 (wǔfàn, "lunch"), and 午休 (wǔxiū, "afternoon nap").When combined, the characters 下 (xià) and 午 (wǔ) form the word 下午 (xiàwǔ), which means "afternoon." This word is used to refer to the time of day between noon and evening.