How to Say “All day” in Chinese
Time and dates · HSK 2
"All day" in Chinese is 一整天 (yī zhěng tiān). 一整天 (yì zhěng tiān) emphasizes the full span of one day; think 'an entire day.' Natives love the more vivid alternative 一天到晚 (literally 'from day till night'), which adds a complaining tone: 'all day long, nonstop.
Primary translation
一整天
yī zhěng tiān
Variants by register
Casual
一天到晚
yī tiān dào wǎn
When to use it
一整天 (yì zhěng tiān) emphasizes the full span of one day; think 'an entire day.' Natives love the more vivid alternative 一天到晚 (literally 'from day till night'), which adds a complaining tone: 'all day long, nonstop.' Use 一整天 neutrally; use 一天到晚 when you're frustrated (她一天到晚玩手机; 'She's on her phone all day'). Tone sandhi: 一 becomes yì before 1st-tone 整. Don't confuse with 全天 (quán tiān), which is the formal business version you'll see in store hours.
Example sentences
我今天一整天都在开会。
Wǒ jīntiān yī zhěng tiān dōu zài kāihuì.
I've been in meetings all day today.
下了一整天的雨。
Xià le yī zhěng tiān de yǔ.
It rained all day.
他一天到晚抱怨工作。
Tā yī tiān dào wǎn bàoyuàn gōngzuò.
He complains about work all day long.