宵

night

宵 is composed of the radical 宀 (roof) and 肖 (resemble). 肖 conveys the idea of the moon’s light diminishing, originally meaning nighttime. As 肖 later developed other meanings, 宀, which signifies coverage or a roof, was added to emphasize its original meaning of night, as represented by 宵.

Vocabulary of 宵

  • 深宵 (very late at night)
  • 宵禁 (night curfew)
  • 宵夜 (late-night snack)

Related Characters: