下
午

About

The word 下午 is formed by combining two characters: 下 (xià), meaning "below" or "after", and 午 (wǔ), which historically refers to "noon" or the midday period (specifically, 11 AM to 1 PM in the traditional Chinese timekeeping system). Conceptually, it visually represents the segment of the day that comes after the noon point, with 下 indicating the "descending" or "later" half of the day following the high noon sun.

Example Sentences Hide

今天下午我很忙。

Jīntiān xiàwǔ wǒ hěn máng.

I am very busy this afternoon.

下午我们去商店买东西。

Xiàwǔ wǒmen qù shāngdiàn mǎi dōngxi.

We go shopping at the store in the afternoon.

如果下午下雨，我们就不出门了。

Rúguǒ xiàwǔ xià yǔ, wǒmen jiù bù chūmén le.

If it rains in the afternoon, we will not go out.

下午的会议被推迟到明天了。

Xiàwǔ de huìyì bèi tuīchí dào míngtiān le.

The afternoon meeting was postponed until tomorrow.

尽管下午天气炎热，他仍然坚持在户外工作。

Jǐnguǎn xiàwǔ tiānqì yánrè, tā réngrán jiānchí zài hùwài gōngzuò.

Even though the afternoon weather is hot, he still insists on working outdoors.

Word Definition - 下午

xià wǔ afternoon; CL:個|个[gè]; p.m.

Individual Character Details

下 xià
午 wǔ