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晚上
wǎn shang
evening
我晚上喜欢看书。
I like to read in the evening.
neutral
The part of the day between sunset and bedtime; the latter part of the day.
晚上我们一起吃饭吧。
Let's have dinner together in the evening.
今天晚上天气很凉爽。
The weather is cool this evening.
Used to refer to the time period after sunset and before midnight. Often contrasted with 白天 (daytime).
Pro Tip
Distinguish 晚上, 夜晚, and 晚间
晚上 refers to the time between sunset and bedtime. 夜晚 emphasizes the darkness and quiet of the night. 晚间 is more formal and often used in news or announcements to refer to the evening period.
Gold Rule
Use 晚上 for general evening references
Use 晚上 when referring to the time period after sunset and before midnight in everyday contexts. It is the most commonly used term for 'evening' in Chinese.
Word Origin
Composed of 晚 (wǎn, 'late') and 上 (shang, 'top/part of'), indicating the later part of the day. The character 晚 dates back to the Warring States period (475–221 BCE) and originally depicted the moon (夕) with a person (人) indicating lateness.
Usage Notes
晚上 is commonly used in both spoken and written Chinese to refer to the evening period. It can also be used to indicate activities or events that occur during this time, such as '晚上看电影' (watch a movie in the evening). In some contexts, it may overlap with 夜晚 (night), but 晚上 typically refers to the earlier part of the night.
Word Breakdown
晚
late
root上
top/part of
root汉英词典