Definition
一天到晚 literally means 'from morning till night', but it's used idiomatically to mean 'all day long' or 'the entire day', often with a tone of impatience, annoyance, or emphasis that an action is excessive or continuous. It functions as an adverbial phrase in a sentence, placed before the verb it modifies.
v.p.
all day longthe whole day (often implying impatience or excessive duration)
Examples
- 一天到晚，。Tā yī tiān dào wǎn dōu zài gōngsī jiābān, fēicháng xīnkǔ.He works overtime at the company all day long — it's really tough.
- 一天到晚，。Bié yī tiān dào wǎn kàn shǒujī le, chūqù huódòng huódòng ba.Don't stare at your phone all day — go out and get some exercise.
- 一天到晚，？Zhè háizi yī tiān dào wǎn de kū, shì bú shì bìng le?This child cries all day long — could he be sick?
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