khuya

Thân thiện

Đèn vẫn sáng trong căn phòng lúc đêm khuya.

Definition

1. Adverb:
   • Late at night; midnight: Refers to a time period that is deep into the night, well past the usual evening hours and often approaching or past midnight.
   • Very late: Emphasizes the lateness of the hour within the nighttime.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Anh ấy thường làm việc đến khuya. (He often works late into the night.)
  • Đêm qua tôi thức rất khuya. (Last night I stayed up very late.)
  • Chúng tôi về nhà lúc nửa đêm khuya. (We returned home at midnight.)

Advanced Usage

• The word "khuya" is often intensified with adverbs like "rất" (very) or "quá" (too) to emphasize extreme lateness.
  • Cuộc họp kết thúc quá khuya. (The meeting ended far too late at night.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nửa đêm (n): midnight. This is a more specific time point, whereas "khuya" describes a late period.

  • Chuông đồng hồ điểm mười hai giờ nửa đêm. (The clock struck twelve midnight.)

• Đêm khuya (n phrase): the late night / the dead of night. This is a common compound using "khuya" as a descriptive element.

  • Sự yên tĩnh của đêm khuya. (The silence of the late night.)

Synonyms

• Late at night: The general equivalent in English.
• The small hours: Refers to the very early morning hours after midnight.
• Past midnight: Specifically after 12:00 AM.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Cú đêm: (literally "night owl") A person who habitually stays up late at night.

  • Anh ta là một cú đêm chính hiệu. (He is a certified night owl.)

• Thức khuya dậy sớm: To stay up late and wake up early (indicating hard work or a busy life).

  • Người nông dân thức khuya dậy sớm. (The farmer stays up late and wakes up early.)

Học thuật

adv

1. late at night; midnight
   • rất khuya
     very late at night