一天到晚

yītiān-dàowǎn

adverb HSK 7-9 #10,741

Meanings

1 all day long
2 from morning to night

Characters

Literally 'one day until night' — meaning the entire day without pause.

Examples

他一天到晚都在玩手机。

Tā yītiāndàowǎn dōu zài wán shǒujī.

He plays on his phone all day long.

她一天到晚忙个不停。

Tā yītiāndàowǎn máng ge bùtíng.

She's busy nonstop from morning to night.

你一天到晚就知道吃！

Nǐ yītiāndàowǎn jiù zhīdào chī!

All you do all day is eat!

Tips

usage

一天到晚 almost always carries a tone of complaint or exasperation — you wouldn't use it to praise someone's dedication. Compare: 他一天到晚打游戏 (he plays games all day — annoyed tone) vs. 他每天都在学习 (he studies every day — neutral/positive).

Stroke Order

一 yī

天 tiān

到 dào

晚 wǎn