noun HSK 5
Traditional 白晝
daytime · daylight · day
Meaning
白昼 refers to the period of daylight between sunrise and sunset, as opposed to nighttime. It's a somewhat formal or literary term combining 白 (white/bright) and 昼 (daytime), emphasizing the bright hours of the day.
Usage
This is a more formal or literary word compared to the everyday 白天 (báitiān). You'll encounter it in written texts, news reports, poetry, or formal speech. In casual conversation, most people simply say 白天.
Examples
- 01在极地地区，夏季会出现白昼持续数月的现象。, .In polar regions, the phenomenon of continuous daylight for several months occurs in summer.
- 02这座城市白昼和夜晚的温差很大。.This city has a large temperature difference between day and night.
Characters
Common collocations
- 白昼如夜daytime like night (describing extreme darkness)
- 白昼温度daytime temperature
Antonyms
Origin
The character 昼 originally depicted the sun (日) during the day. Combined with 白 (bright/white), 白昼 literally means 'bright day' or 'the bright hours.'