je6 laan4 jan4 zing6夜闌人靜夜阑人静
Jyutpingje6 laan4 jan4 zing6
Yaleyeh làahn yàhn jihng
Definition
Deep in the night when all is quiet and silent.
neutraltimedescriptions
How it's used
This idiom carries a poetic and slightly melancholic undertone, often used to describe a sense of solitude or introspection. It is rarely used in casual, high-energy social settings and instead appears more frequently in writing or when describing a reflective mood. It specifically emphasizes the absence of human activity, making it distinct from simply saying it is late at night.
Examples
In the dead of night, it is perfect for thinking things over quietly by yourself.
Have you ever tried going for a walk alone in the dead of night?
Related words
Common phrases
during the dead of night
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a standard adjective, but it functions more like a descriptive phrase or a temporal marker. Avoid using it to describe a noisy or bustling night, as the term inherently requires a lack of human sound.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
