adverb HSK 5
Traditional 徹夜
chè
throughout the night · all night long

Meaning

彻夜 means to continue doing something through the entire night without stopping or sleeping. It emphasizes the complete duration from evening until dawn. This word is commonly used in both spoken and written Chinese to describe activities that last the whole night.

Usage

彻夜 is typically used to describe intensive or sustained activities like studying, working, or celebrating that continue without interruption through the night. It often appears before verbs and carries a sense of dedication or necessity. Common in both formal writing and everyday speech, though 通宵 is a near-synonym that's sometimes preferred in casual contexts.

Examples

  1. 01
    他为了准备考试彻夜学习。
    wèi le zhǔn bèi kǎo shì chè xué .
    He studied all night long to prepare for the exam.
  2. 02
    医生们彻夜抢救伤员。
    shēng men chè qiǎng jiù shāng yuán.
    The doctors worked throughout the night to rescue the injured.

Characters

Common collocations

  • 彻夜未眠
    chè wèi mián
    not sleep all night
  • 彻夜工作
    chè gōng zuò
    work all night
  • 彻夜狂欢
    chè kuáng huān
    party all night
  • 彻夜不息
    chè
    continue without rest all night

Origin

彻 originally meant 'to penetrate through' or 'thorough,' while 夜 means 'night.' Together they create the meaning of 'thoroughly through the night.'

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