Meaning
成天 is an adverb meaning 'all day long' or 'constantly.' It emphasizes that something happens continuously throughout the day or very frequently. The word 成 means 'to become/complete' and 天 means 'day,' together forming the sense of filling up an entire day with an activity.
Usage
成天 is commonly used in spoken Chinese to express annoyance or emphasis about repeated or continuous actions. It often appears before verbs to show that someone does something excessively or all the time. The tone is typically informal and can carry a slightly negative or complaining connotation.
Examples
- 01他成天坐在电脑前，对身体不好。, .He sits in front of the computer all day long, which is bad for his health.
- 02孩子成天看电视，都不出去玩。, .The child watches TV all day and doesn't even go out to play.
Characters
Common collocations
- 成天抱怨complain all day long
- 成天玩游戏play video games all day
- 成天忙busy all day long
Origin
Literally combines 成 (complete/whole) with 天 (day) to create the meaning of 'a complete day' or 'the whole day,' which evolved to mean doing something throughout an entire day or constantly.