How to Say “Before midnight” in Chinese
Time and dates · HSK 3
"Before midnight" in Chinese is 午夜之前 (wǔyè zhīqián). 午夜 (wǔyè) is the literary word for midnight (12 AM sharp), while 半夜 (bànyè, literally 'half-night') is the casual word people actually use and refers loosely to 'the middle of the night'; usually anytime from about 11 PM to 2 AM. 之前 (zhīqián) means 'before' and always comes after the time.
Primary translation
午夜之前
wǔyè zhīqián
Variants by register
Casual
半夜之前
bànyè zhīqián
When to use it
午夜 (wǔyè) is the literary word for midnight (12 AM sharp), while 半夜 (bànyè, literally 'half-night') is the casual word people actually use and refers loosely to 'the middle of the night'; usually anytime from about 11 PM to 2 AM. 之前 (zhīqián) means 'before' and always comes after the time. In daily speech, 十二点以前 (shí'èr diǎn yǐqián, 'before 12 o'clock') is even more common than 午夜之前. Taobao shoppers know this one well; online flash sales often end 午夜之前.
Example sentences
请在午夜之前提交报告。
Qǐng zài wǔyè zhīqián tíjiāo bàogào.
Please submit the report before midnight.
我一般半夜之前睡觉。
Wǒ yìbān bànyè zhīqián shuìjiào.
I usually go to sleep before midnight.
优惠午夜之前结束。
Yōuhuì wǔyè zhīqián jiéshù.
The discount ends before midnight.