凌晨
líng chén HSK 6

English Meaning

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📚 Example Sentences

他凌晨三点才睡觉。
Tā língchén sān diǎn cái shuìjiào.
He didn't sleep until 3 AM.
凌晨的街道很安静。
Língchén de jiēdào hěn ānjìng.
The streets are very quiet in the early morning.
飞机将在凌晨到达。
Fēijī jiāng zài língchén dàodá.
The plane will arrive before dawn.
凌晨很安静。
Língchén hěn ānjìng.
The early morning is very quiet.
他凌晨起床。
Tā língchén qǐchuáng.
He gets up in the wee hours.

💡 Memory Tip

Break the characters down: 凌 can remind you of 'approaching' (as in 凌驾), and 晨 means 'morning'. So, 凌晨 is the time 'approaching morning'—when night is giving way to dawn but it's still very dark and quiet.

📝 Usage Notes

This word is neutral in register, suitable for both formal and informal contexts in both spoken and written Chinese. It is commonly used to describe specific times of events (e.g., 凌晨三点), in news reports, narratives, or when discussing schedules, illnesses, or travel that occur in the very early hours.

📖 Grammar Points

It is primarily used as a time noun, often followed directly by a specific hour (e.g., 凌晨 + Number + 点). It can function as an adverbial of time at the beginning of a sentence or before a verb.

🏯 Cultural Notes

In Chinese culture, activities during 凌晨 are often associated with urgency (like hospital visits), quiet solitude, or the hard work of certain professions (e.g., street cleaners, bakers). Traditional Chinese medicine might associate these hours with specific bodily meridian cycles.

🔄 Similar Words

Compared to 早晨 (zǎochen, morning, after dawn) and 早上 (zǎoshang, morning), 凌晨 is much earlier and darker. 深夜 (shēnyè) means 'late at night' but usually refers to the period before midnight, while 凌晨 starts from midnight onward.

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