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noun / verb HSK 4
rì luò
sunset · sundown · the sun sets

Meaning

日落 literally means 'sun falls' and refers to the daily phenomenon when the sun descends below the horizon at the end of the day. It can be used as a noun to describe the sunset itself or as a verb meaning 'the sun sets.'

Usage

This is a formal or literary term commonly used in weather reports, poetry, and descriptive writing. In casual conversation, people might say 太阳下山了 (tàiyáng xiàshān le) instead. 日落 often appears in phrases describing the time of day or scenic descriptions.

Examples

  1. 01
    我们在海边看日落，景色非常美。
    Wǒmen zài hǎibiān kàn rì luò, jǐngsè fēicháng měi.
    We watched the sunset by the sea, and the scenery was very beautiful.
  2. 02
    日落以后，气温就开始下降了。
    Rì luò yǐhòu, qìwēn jiù kāishǐ xiàjiàng le.
    After sunset, the temperature started to drop.

Characters

Common collocations

  • 日落时分
    rì luò shí fēn
    at sunset
  • 日落西山
    rì luò xī shān
    the sun sets behind the western hills (idiom: declining fortunes)
  • 观赏日落
    guān shǎng rì luò
    to watch the sunset
  • 日落之前
    rì luò zhī qián
    before sunset

Antonyms

Origin

The compound combines 日 (sun) with 落 (to fall/descend), creating a vivid image of the sun falling below the horizon. This pairing has been used in Classical Chinese for centuries.

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