昨天

zuótiān

yesterday

我昨天去了公园。

I went to the park yesterday.

neutral

The day before today; the most recent past day.

昨天下雨了。

It rained yesterday.

他昨天告诉我这个消息。

He told me the news yesterday.

Used in both spoken and written Chinese to refer to the immediate past day.

Collocations

昨天早上yesterday morning昨天晚上last night昨天下午yesterday afternoon

Synonyms

昨日

Antonyms

今天明天

Pro Tip

Distinguish yesterday from other days

昨天 refers specifically to the day before today. Use 前天 (the day before yesterday) and 明天 (tomorrow) for other time references.

Gold Rule

Time expressions in Chinese

Chinese often omits the word 'day' when the context is clear. For example, '昨天' means 'yesterday' without needing to say 'day' explicitly.

Word Origin

From Middle Chinese 昨天 (dzak then), combining 昨 (yesterday) and 天 (day). The term has been used in Chinese for centuries to denote the day before today.

Usage Notes

昨天 is the most common term for 'yesterday' in Mandarin Chinese. It is always used in reference to the calendar day preceding the current day. In formal writing, 昨日 may be used, but it sounds more literary or formal.

Word Breakdown

昨

yesterday

root

天

day

root

汉英词典

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