Chinese Grammar Reference logo

    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing 'late night' with 深夜 (shēnyè)

    Time Expressions

    Structure

    深夜 + Noun / 深夜 + Verb

    Explanation

    深夜 (shēnyè) means "late night" or "deep into the night." It refers to the late hours of the evening, typically after midnight. It is commonly used as a time modifier before nouns or verbs.

    Examples

    • 深夜的街道上几乎看不到行人。

      shēnyè de jiēdào shàng jīhū kàn bù dào xíngrén.

      There are almost no pedestrians on the streets late at night.

    • 他总是深夜才回家,家人都很担心。

      tā zǒngshì shēnyè cái huíjiā, jiārén dōu hěn dānxīn.

      He always comes home late at night, and his family is very worried.

    • 我深夜突然饿了,就去楼下买了碗面。

      wǒ shēnyè tūrán è le, jiù qù lóuxià mǎi le wǎn miàn.

      I suddenly got hungry late at night, so I went downstairs and bought a bowl of noodles.

    Expressing 'late night' with 深夜 (shēnyè) | Chinese Grammar