background texture

没日没夜

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: méi rì méi yè
  • English Translation: Day and night (without rest); round the clock
  • Idiom Composition: 「没」(Without; not having)+「日」(Day; daytime)+「没」(Without; not having)+「夜」(Night)
  • Meaning: To be so immersed in an activity that one loses the distinction between day and night. It describes working, studying, or playing excessively without taking a break or sleeping.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「没日没夜」 contains the following nuances:

  • The Disappearance of Time Boundaries: Literally meaning 'no day and no night,' it refers to a state where the passage of time is ignored or there is no leisure to notice it.
  • Excessive Persistence: It implies more than just 'long hours'; it suggests sacrificing necessary rest, often carrying a nuance of desperation, obsession, or an unsustainable pace.

3. Usage

「没日没夜」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Intense work or study: Commonly used for high-pressure situations like project deadlines or exam preparation. It can either praise diligence or express concern about overworking.
    • Example:「为了赶项目进度,整个团队已经没日没夜地工作了一个星期。」
      (To meet the project deadline, the whole team has been working day and night for a week.)
  • Indulgence in hobbies or entertainment: Used to criticize or describe someone who is so obsessed with games, gambling, or other hobbies that their daily rhythm is completely disrupted.
    • Example:「放假回家后,他总是没日没夜地打游戏,完全不顾身体。」
      (Since returning home for the holidays, he has been playing games round the clock, completely neglecting his health.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 那段时间他没日没夜地复习,终于考上了理想的大学。
    (During that period, he studied day and night and finally got into his dream university.)
  2. 照顾新生儿真是件辛苦事,父母往往得没日没夜地围着孩子转。
    (Taking care of a newborn is hard work; parents often have to attend to the baby around the clock.)
  3. 外面雨下得没日没夜的,真让人心烦。
    (It has been raining non-stop, day and night, which is really frustrating.)
  4. 这种没日没夜的生活方式迟早会把身体搞垮的。
    (This day-and-night lifestyle will ruin your health sooner or later.)

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • Colloquial Usage: 没日没夜 (méi rì méi yè) is a very informal expression. In formal writing or academic contexts, the idiom 夜以继日 (yè yǐ jì rì), which means 'to carry on through the night into the day,' is generally preferred.
  • Tone and Nuance: While it can be used in a positive context to show dedication, it often carries a sense of 'going to extremes.' It highlights a level of intensity that might be considered abnormal or even unhealthy, unlike more purely complimentary terms for hard work.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

没日没夜 (méi rì méi yè) is a colloquial idiom used to describe someone so engrossed in a task that they ignore the passage of time. Whether it is used to praise hard work or criticize excessive indulgence, it emphasizes a state of total immersion that often borders on the extreme or unhealthy.

Featured in the Chuken exam (Japan's Chinese test)Pre-Level 1

Idiom Essay

méi rì méi yè
没日没夜
Day and Night Without End
shēng huó生活tōng cháng通常shì是yǒu有jié zòu节奏de的。

Life usually has a rhythm.

tài yáng太阳shēng qǐ升起,wǒ men我们kāi shǐ开始huó dòng活动;yè mù jiàng lín夜幕降临,wǒ men我们tíng xià lái停下来xiū xī休息。

When the sun rises, we begin our activities; when night falls, we stop to rest.

zhè zhǒng这种“bái tiān白天”hé和“wǎn shàng晚上”de的jiāo tì交替,gòu chéng构成le了wǒ men我们rì fù yí rì日复一日de的shēng huó生活guī lǜ规律。

This alternation of day and night forms our daily routine.

kě shì可是,yǒu xiē有些tè shū特殊de的shí kè时刻,zhè zhǒng这种guī lǜ规律huì会bèi被dǎ pò打破。

However, at certain special moments, this rhythm can be broken.

yě xǔ也许shì是yīn wèi因为yī xiàng一项bì xū必须yào要wán chéng完成de的jǐn jí紧急gōng zuò工作,yě xǔ也许shì是wèi le为了zhǔn bèi准备yī cháng一场zhì guān zhòng yào至关重要de的kǎo shì考试,yòu又huò zhě或者shì是dān chún单纯yīn wèi因为tài太chén mí沉迷yú于mǒu jiàn某件shì事——bǐ rú比如dú读yī běn一本jīng cǎi精彩de的xiǎo shuō小说,huò zhě或者wán玩yí gè一个gāng刚shàng shǒu上手de的yóu xì游戏。

Perhaps it is because of an urgent task that must be completed, or to prepare for a crucial exam, or simply because one is too immersed in something—like reading a gripping novel or playing a new game.

zài在zhè xiē这些shí kè时刻,nǐ你kě néng可能huì会wàng jì忘记kàn biǎo看表,wàng jì忘记chī fàn吃饭,shèn zhì甚至gǎn jué感觉bú dào不到wài miàn外面de的tiān天shì是liàng亮le了hái shì还是hēi黑le了。

In these moments, you might forget to check the clock, forget to eat, or even fail to notice whether it is light or dark outside.

zhōng wén中文lǐ里,yǒu有yí gè一个chéng yǔ成语zhuān mén专门yòng lái用来xíng róng形容zhè zhǒng这种zhuàng tài状态,jiào叫“méi rì méi yè没日没夜”。

In Chinese, there is an idiom specifically used to describe this state, called 没日没夜.

cóng从zì miàn字面shàng上kàn看,tā它de的yì si意思fēi cháng非常zhí bái直白:“méi没”jiù shì就是méi yǒu没有。

Literally, its meaning is very straightforward: 没 means 'without'.

fǎng fú仿佛shēng huó生活zhōng中méi yǒu没有le了bái tiān白天,yě也méi yǒu没有le了hēi yè黑夜。

It is as if there is no day and no night in life.

dāng当wǒ men我们shuō说yí gè一个rén人“méi rì méi yè没日没夜”dì地zuò做mǒu shì某事shí时,tōng cháng通常bù jǐn jǐn不仅仅shì是zài在shuō说tā他hěn很máng忙。

When we say someone is doing something 没日没夜, we are usually not just saying they are busy.

wǒ men我们shì是zài在qiáng diào强调yī zhǒng一种jí dù极度de的tóu rù投入。

We are emphasizing an extreme level of devotion.

zhè zhǒng这种tóu rù投入qiáng liè强烈dào到lián连shí jiān时间de的jiè xiàn界限dōu都biàn dé变得mó hú模糊le了。

This devotion is so intense that even the boundaries of time become blurred.

bǐ rú比如,nǐ你huì会tīng dào听到bié rén别人shuō说:“wèi le为了gǎn赶zài在zhè ge这个yuè dǐ月底qián前wán chéng完成xiàng mù项目,zhěng gè整个tuán duì团队dōu都zài在méi rì méi yè没日没夜dì地jiā bān加班。”

For example, you might hear someone say: 'To finish the project by the end of the month, the whole team has been working overtime 没日没夜.'

huò zhě或者xíng róng形容yī wèi一位kē xué jiā科学家:“tā他yī一jìn进shí yàn shì实验室jiù就méi rì méi yè没日没夜,wán quán完全wàng jì忘记le了xiū xī休息。”

Or describing a scientist: 'Once he enters the lab, he is 没日没夜, completely forgetting to rest.'

zhí de值得zhù yì注意de的shì是,“méi rì méi yè没日没夜”zhè ge这个cí词běn shēn本身shì是zhōng xìng中性de的。

It is worth noting that the term 没日没夜 itself is neutral.

tā它yǒu shí hòu有时候dài带zhe着yì diǎn一点xīn téng心疼,yīn wèi因为zhè yàng这样shēng huó生活hěn很xīn kǔ辛苦,hěn很shāng伤shēn tǐ身体;dàn但yǒu shí hòu有时候,tā它yě也dài带zhe着yī zhǒng一种jìng pèi敬佩,yīn wèi因为tā它dài biǎo代表zhe着yī zhǒng一种wèi le为了mù biāo目标quán lì yǐ fù全力以赴de的jué xīn决心。

Sometimes it carries a bit of concern because living this way is hard and taxing on the body; but other times, it carries a sense of admiration because it represents a determination to go all out for a goal.

dāng rán当然,méi yǒu没有rén人néng gòu能够yǒng yuǎn永远“méi rì méi yè没日没夜”。

Of course, no one can stay 没日没夜 forever.

tā它tōng cháng通常zhǐ只shǔ yú属于shēng mìng生命zhōng中nà xiē那些tè dìng特定de的、xū yào需要chōng cì冲刺de的jiē duàn阶段。

It usually belongs only to those specific stages in life that require a final sprint.

suǒ yǐ所以,xià cì下次dāng当nǐ你fā xiàn发现zì jǐ自己yīn wèi因为tài太zhuān zhù专注yú于yī jiàn shì一件事,yī tái tóu一抬头cái才fā xiàn发现chuāng wài窗外yǐ jīng已经tiān liàng天亮de shí hòu的时候,nǐ你jiù就huì会míng bái明白zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语de的yì si意思le了。

So, the next time you find yourself so focused on something that you look up only to find the sun has already risen, you will understand the meaning of this idiom.

tā它xíng róng形容de的shì是yī zhǒng一种wán quán完全wàng wǒ忘我de的zhuàng tài状态——yīn wèi因为tài太tóu rù投入,lián连shí jiān时间dōu都shī qù失去le了yì yì意义。

It describes a state of complete self-forgetfulness—where time loses its meaning because of such deep immersion.

'造句' Feature Usage Guide

造句练习📝

Try creating sentences using '没日没夜'!

0/50