凌晨

língchén

noun HSK 7-9 #3,054

Meanings

他凌晨三点才回家。

Tā língchén sāndiǎn cái huíjiā.

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.

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.

凌 líng

晨 chén