hoi1 je6 ce1開夜車开夜车
Jyutpinghoi1 je6 ce1
Yalehōi yeh chē
Definition
To work or study late into the night; to burn the midnight oil.
colloquialworkschool
How it's used
Focuses specifically on the act of staying awake past normal sleeping hours to complete a task, usually under pressure. It carries a sense of weariness and urgency that is absent from simply saying working late. It is commonly used by students preparing for exams or employees meeting tight deadlines.
Examples
I have to hand in a report tomorrow, so I have to burn the midnight oil again tonight.
Related words
Common phrases
to pull an all-nighter to study
to work late into the night
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with simply staying up late for leisure or entertainment, such as playing games or watching movies, as the term implies productive work or study.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
