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隔夜 (gé yè) — the previous night; the intervening night

Definition

Usually functions as a modifier meaning 'left overnight / overnight' (e.g. 隔夜的食物, 隔夜茶). It rarely stands alone as a noun — the gloss 'the previous night' reflects a brief nominal use in phrases like 隔夜没睡好.

noun
the previous nightthe intervening night

Examples

  • 隔夜。
    gé yè De shí wù zuì hǎo bú yào chī.
    It's best not to eat food from the previous night.
  • 隔夜，。
    Tā yīn wèi gé yè méi shuì hǎo, jīn tiān hěn lèi.
    Because he didn't sleep well the previous night, he's very tired today.
  • 隔夜。
    gé yè De chá shuǐ bù néng hē.
    Tea that has been left overnight cannot be drunk.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

隔gépass through
夜yènight

隔 means to pass through or separate and 夜 is night, together referring to the night in between.

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
阝Written in full as阜fùwall
Sound part声符shēngfú
鬲
鬲gé隔gé
Same sound today

隔 puts 阝, a wall, with 鬲, which gives the sound gé, to show separating with a wall.

Open 隔 →

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.

Open 夜 →
Appears in
Time of Day

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