当天 (dàng tiān) — that same day

Definition

当天 (dàng tiān) means 'that very day / the same day,' referring to the day an event just mentioned happened. It pairs naturally with 就 to stress immediacy; 当日 is a written/formal variant, while 即日 sounds administrative or commercial.

noun
that same day

Examples

  • 当天。
    Tā dàng tiān jiù wán chéng le gōng zuò.
    He finished the work that same day.
  • 当天。
    Qǐng dàng tiān huí fù zhè fēng yóu jiàn.
    Please reply to this email on that same day.
  • 当天。
    Wǒ men dàng tiān mǎi dào le zuì hòu liǎng zhāng piào.
    We bought the last two tickets that same day.

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.

当dāngsame
天tiānday

当 means same, and 天 means day; together they denote that same day.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 當; 当 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
尚
尚shàng當dāng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 當 combines 田 (field) with 尚; the evidence describes fields facing each other.

Open 当 →

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
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Days & Weeks

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