Definition
半夜三更 is a four-character idiom (成语) that literally means 'midnight, the third watch'. In traditional Chinese timekeeping, the night was divided into five watches (更), and the third watch runs from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. — the deepest part of the night. You can use it as a time expression in the same way as 'in the middle of the night' in English, often emphasizing that something is happening at a very late (and usually surprising or inconvenient) hour.
idiom
the depths of the nightlate at night
Examples
- 半夜三更，。Tā bàn yè sān gēng hái zài jiābān, zhēnshi xīnkǔ.He's still working overtime in the dead of night—that's really tough.
- 半夜三更，。bàn yè sān gēng de shíhou, wàimiàn tūrán xià qǐ le dàyǔ.In the middle of the night, it suddenly started raining heavily outside.
- 半夜三更？。Shéi bàn yè sān gēng dǎ diànhuà lái? Tài chǎo le.Who's calling at this late hour? It's too noisy.
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