Meaning
整天 means 'all day' or 'the whole day' and is commonly used to describe actions or states that continue throughout an entire day. It combines 整 (whole/entire) with 天 (day). As an adverb, it emphasizes the duration or frequency of an action happening continuously during the day, often with a slightly negative or complaining tone when describing repetitive activities.
Usage
整天 is frequently used in spoken Chinese to express that someone does something constantly or continuously throughout the day. It often carries a tone of mild complaint or exasperation, especially when describing someone's repetitive or annoying behavior. Native speakers commonly use it in phrases like '整天玩手机' (playing on the phone all day) or '整天忙' (busy all day long). It can also be used neutrally to simply indicate full-day duration.
Examples
- 01他整天坐在电脑前打游戏。.He sits in front of the computer playing games all day long.
- 02我昨天整天都在准备考试。.I spent the whole day yesterday preparing for the exam.
Characters
Common collocations
- 整天忙busy all day
- 整天玩play all day
- 整天在家at home all day
- 整天工作work all day
Origin
The word combines 整 meaning 'whole' or 'entire' with 天 meaning 'day', creating a straightforward compound that literally means 'whole day'. This construction pattern is common in Chinese for expressing complete time periods.