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通宵 (tōng xiāo) — the whole night; all night long

Definition

A noun meaning 'the whole night' — emphasizes the duration of staying up. Versus 彻夜 (more literary, adverbial) and 连夜 (emphasizes doing something immediately that night).

noun
the whole nightall night long

Examples

  • 通宵，。
    Tā tōng xiāo gōng zuò, dì èr tiān hěn lèi.
    He worked all night and was very tired the next day.
  • 通宵，。
    Wǒ men tōng xiāo kàn diàn yǐng, kàn dào tiān liàng.
    We watched movies all night until dawn.
  • ，通宵。
    Wèi le wán chéng zuò yè, tā tōng xiāo méi shuì.
    To finish his homework, he didn't sleep all night.

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.

通tōngthrough/whole
宵xiāonight

「通」suggests through or whole, and 「宵」means night, giving all night long.

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
辶Written in full as辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
甬
甬yǒng通tōng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

通 pairs 辶, a part associated with movement, with 甬, which gives the sound.

Open 通 →

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
肖
肖xiào宵xiāo
Same sound today

宵 pairs 宀 (roof) with 肖, a part that gives the sound.

Open 宵 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Time of Day

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