半夜
HSK 2 (2021)
半夜 (bànyè) · midnight
半夜 (bànyè) means “midnight; middle of the night”. It is written with 2 characters: 半 (half) + 夜 (night). It is an HSK 2 word in the 2021 standard.
How 半夜 is built
The characters
半 bàn · half
What 半 is made of
- 丷ha — kwukyel
- 丶 — dot
- 牛niú — ox
Origin hint: A cow 牛 splitting 丷 wood in half (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
夜 yè · night
What 夜 is made of
- 亠tóu — lid
- 丶 — dot
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 亻rén — person
- 夕xī — evening
- 勹bāo — wrap shape
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 丶 — dot
- 勹bāo — wrap shape
Origin hint: A person 亻 sneaking by under cover 亠 of night 夕 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
他半夜才回家。Tā bànyè cái huí jiā.He didn't get home until midnight.
你怎么半夜还不睡？Nǐ zěnme bànyè hái bù shuì?Why are you still awake in the middle of the night?
Questions about 半夜
What does 半夜 mean?
半夜 (bànyè) means “midnight; middle of the night”.
How do you pronounce 半夜?
半夜 is pronounced bànyè.
Which HSK level is 半夜?
半夜 is in HSK 2 (2021).
Related words
- 半年bànniánhalf a year
- 半天bàntiānhalf a day
- 一半yībànhalf
- 半途而废bàntú'érfèito give up halfway
- 半bànhalf
- 夜里yèliat night
- 熬夜áoyèto stay up late
- 昼夜zhòuyèday and night
- 夜晚yèwǎnnight
- 夜yènight
Learn 半夜 with its group
It is part of HSK 2 (2021) · Group 11: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.