昨天
zuótiān
Yesterday
昨天 (zuótiān) is the standard word for "yesterday" in Mandarin Chinese. It refers to the day immediately preceding today.
What does 昨天 (zuótiān) mean?
昨天 (zuótiān) means “yesterday” in English. Word for word, it breaks down as “yesterday day.”
When to use it
Neutral and appropriate for all situations. To refer to "the day before yesterday," use 前天 (qiántiān). For "tomorrow," use 明天 (míngtiān).
How to pronounce it
Sounds roughly like “dzwoh-TYEN.” The first syllable has a falling-rising tone, and the second is a high-level tone.
Other ways to say it
- 前天qiántiānthe day before yesterday
- 今天jīntiāntoday
- 明天míngtiāntomorrow
Examples
我昨天去图书馆了。
wǒ zuótiān qù túshūguǎn le.
I went to the library yesterday.
昨天天气很好。
zuótiān tiānqì hěn hǎo.
The weather was very good yesterday.
你昨天做了什么？
nǐ zuótiān zuò le shénme?
What did you do yesterday?
Pro tip: 昨天 specifically means the calendar day before today. It is not used to mean a general "past time" or "back in the day."
Related phrases
小时 · Hour明天 · Tomorrow后天 · The day after tomorrow
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