夜市 (yè shì) — night market | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

An open-air market that operates in the evening, focused on street food, snacks, and small goods. Unlike 集市 (a daytime bazaar or periodic fair), 夜市 is defined by its nighttime setting and casual, social atmosphere.

noun

night market

Measure word · 个

Examples

夜市。
Wǒ zhōu mò xǐ huan hé péng you yì qǐ qù yè shì guàng jiē.
I like to go shopping at the night market with friends on weekends.
夜市，。
Zhè ge yè shì de hǎo chī de zhēn duō, měi cì dōu chī bù wán.
This night market has so many delicious things, we can't finish eating each time.
夜市，。
Zuó tiān wǒ dì yī cì qù nà ge yè shì, fā xiàn le hěn duō yǒu yì si de dōng xī.
Yesterday I went to that night market for the first time and found many interesting things.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

夜 (night) and 市 (market) combine to mean a market held at night.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

夕夕xīmoon

Sound part声符shēngfú

亦

亦yì夜yè

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The form 夜 pairs 亦 as a sound part with 夕 as a moon part, for night. In the modern shape, the 亦 part is broken up and one stroke merges into 夕.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

兮兮xībustling

Sound part声符shēngfú

之

之zhī市shì

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The old form 市 pairs 兮, meaning bustling, with 之, the sound part.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 5

Browse more HSK 5 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.