Meaning of 当天
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- the same day
- on that day
How to use 当天
当天 (dàngtiān) usually means "the same day" as an event already mentioned, and it often appears in news, travel and business contexts. Example: 我们当天就回来了。(Wǒmen dàngtiān jiù huílai le.) We came back the same day.
当 (dàng) here means "that same, matching" and 天 (tiān) means "day". Put them together and you get "that very same day", the day something happened.
Common mistake: Learners often say dāngtiān for every meaning. The everyday sense "the same day" is dàngtiān with a fourth tone, while dāngtiān is a more formal way to say "on that day" in the past. Also, do not use 当天 to mean "today". For the present day, use 今天 (jīntiān).
当天 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
当 dāng · to be · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
天 tiān · day · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
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- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 当天.
| 今天 | jīntiān | today; the present time; now |
| 明天 | míngtiān | tomorrow |
| 昨天 | zuótiān | yesterday |
| 天气 | tiānqì | weather |
| 白天 | báitiān | daytime; during the day |
| 星期天 | xīngqītiān | Sunday |
| 后天 | hòutiān | the day after tomorrow; life after birth (the period in which one develops through experie |
| 半天 | bàntiān | half of the day; a long time |
| 前天 | qiántiān | the day before yesterday |
| 当时 | dāngshí | then; at that time |
| 夏天 | xiàtiān | summer |
| 春天 | chūntiān | spring (season) |
Questions about 当天
What does 当天 mean?
当天 (dàngtiān) means "the same day" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 当天?
当天 is made of 2 characters: 当 (6 strokes), 天 (4 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 当天 an HSK word?
Yes. 当天 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 当天 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 当天 is written 當天.
What is the difference between 当天 and 那天?
那天 (nàtiān) simply points to "that day" in a story. 当天 stresses that something happened on the same day as another event, as in 当天往返 (dàngtiān wǎngfǎn), a round trip on the same day.
Can 当天 be used for future plans?
Yes. It can describe a day that is still to come, for example 考试当天要早点到 (kǎoshì dàngtiān yào zǎodiǎn dào), which means "on the day of the exam, arrive early".