je6 loi4夜來夜来
Jyutpingje6 loi4
Yaleyeh lòih
Definition
Night comes, or during the night.
colloquialtime
How it's used
Literary and poetic in origin, this expression is rarely used in modern spoken Cantonese to describe the literal arrival of night. It often carries a nostalgic or slightly dramatic flair, making it sound more like a line from a song or a classic poem than a casual observation about the time of day. If you want to describe nightfall in a natural, everyday way, stick to using 夜晚 or 入夜.
Examples
Related words
Common phrases
wind and rain during the night
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the Mandarin usage where it might appear more frequently in prose. Using it in a standard conversation about your daily schedule will sound overly formal or even archaic to native speakers.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
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Grammar guides
- TonesCantonese has six tones, and the tones can change in certain grammatical contexts. Learn the six tones and the rules for tone change.
- Time and datesClock time, days of the week, months, and years. The patterns you need to make plans and talk about when things happen.
- Modal verbsHow to say can, will, may, should, must, and want. The core modal verbs of Cantonese and the differences that trip up beginners.
