凌晨

língchén

noun HSK 7 #3,054

Meanings

1 early morning
2 small hours
3 wee hours (before dawn)

Characters

to approach; to rise above

Examples

他凌晨三点才回家。

Tā língchén sān diǎn cái huí jiā.

He didn't get home until 3 AM.

凌晨的街道非常安静。

Língchén de jiēdào fēicháng ānjìng.

The streets in the early morning hours are very quiet.

Tips

usage

凌晨 refers to roughly midnight to dawn (around 0:00-5:00). It's different from 早上 (morning, ~6:00-11:00).

memory

凌 (approach/rise above) + 晨 (morning) — the time approaching dawn.

Stroke Order

凌 líng

晨 chén