夜阑珊

夜闌珊

yè lánshān

phrase

Meanings

1 late at night; the night drawing to its close

Characters

(in 阑珊: fading)

Examples

HSK 6

夜阑珊，独自一人凭栏望月。

Yè lánshān, dúzì yì rén píng lán wàngyuè.

Late in the night, alone, she leans on the railing watching the moon.

HSK 7-9

夜阑珊处灯火稀疏。

Yè lánshān chù dēnghuǒ xīshū.

Where the night fades, the lamplight grows sparse.

Tips

history

Poetic / literary register - 阑珊 means 'waning, fading.' Most famously in Xin Qiji's Song-dynasty 青玉案·元夕: 蓦然回首，那人却在，灯火阑珊处 ('Suddenly I turn - there she is, where the lights are fading').

Stroke Order

夜 yè

阑 lán

珊 shān