Meaning
日夜 literally means 'sun and moon' or 'day and night,' and it describes continuous action without stopping. It emphasizes the idea of working, thinking, or doing something non-stop throughout both daytime and nighttime hours. The word conveys dedication, persistence, or sometimes exhaustion from constant effort.
Usage
Native speakers use 日夜 to emphasize continuous, uninterrupted activity. It often appears with verbs like 工作 (work), 思念 (miss/think of), or 奋斗 (struggle/strive). The tone is usually serious or earnest, suggesting significant effort or devotion. It's more formal than casual speech and common in written Chinese or emotional contexts.
Examples
- 01他为了完成项目日夜工作。.He worked day and night to complete the project.
- 02母亲日夜思念在外地工作的儿子。.The mother misses her son who works in another city day and night.
Characters
Common collocations
- 日夜工作work day and night
- 日夜思念miss someone day and night
- 日夜奋斗struggle/strive day and night
- 日夜不停non-stop around the clock
Antonyms
Origin
The combination of 日 (sun/day) and 夜 (night) creates a merism—a figure of speech using two contrasting parts to represent the whole continuum of time.