# 晚 / 迟



## trannguyen2711

As I know that 晚 and 迟 mean "late" but I don't know what the difference between these words and how to use them. Please give me some help. Thanks in advance!


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## Hyperpolyglot

晚means late as in the sense of late night, 迟is referring to late as in late for appointment


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## lisayee

I agree with Hyperpolyglot. And I'd like to add something. Sometimes, 晚  means the same as 迟 and refers to be late for an appointment, e.g.  对不起，我来*晚*了 (Sorry, I'm *late*).


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## xiaolijie

It's a good observation, lisayee!  And welcome to the forum


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## Testing1234567

現在已經很晚了。/现在已经很晚了。: It's very *late* now. [you should go to bed now]
怎麼你們每個也那麼晚才來到？/怎么你们每个也那么晚才来到？: How come you guys are all arrived so late? (appointment)

As for 遟/迟, I normally won't use it in Mandarin except in compounds: 遟到/迟到: to arrive late

One thing I observed is that for the phrase "sooner or later", in Cantonese we say 遟早/迟早 but in Mandarin we say 早晚.

I would say that you can use 晚 in all context as a single adjective.


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## stellari

Testing1234567 said:


> 現在已經很晚了。/现在已经很晚了。: It's very *late* now. [you should go to bed now]
> 怎麼你們每個也那麼晚才來到？/怎么你们每个也那么晚才来到？: How come you guys are all arrived so late? (appointment)
> 
> As for 遟/迟, I normally won't use it in Mandarin except in compounds: 遟到/迟到: to arrive late
> 
> One thing I observed is that for the phrase "sooner or later", in Cantonese we say 遟早/迟早 but in Mandarin we say 早晚.



Good answer. although I must point out that as a Mandarin speaker myself, I use both 迟早 and 早晚 with similar frequency. 
BTW, Mandarin speakers would use 都 and 来/到(one character only), as opposed to 也 and 来到, in your second example.


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## Testing1234567

That explains why I'm not a Mandarin native


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## SuperXW

I'm with Stellari. Hong Kongers tend to mix formal Chinese with Cantonese usages when writing or typing, making the sentences neither Cantonese nor standard Chinese.
With all due respect, I'd rather read pure Cantonese sentences such as 點解你哋個個都咁遲先到嘎 than the mixed style.


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## 枫十二

I go with stellari and SuperXW too.
现在已经很晚了/现在已经很迟了。
你怎么这么晚才到/你怎么这么迟才到。
It seems no difference to me.


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## Testing1234567

好喇我而家先發覺原來我啲中文真係好唔掂…

BTW點解我哋用眾數(plural)「我啲中文」？


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## SuperXW

Testing1234567 said:


> 好喇我而家先發覺原來我啲中文真係好唔掂…
> 
> BTW點解我哋用眾數(plural)「我啲中文」？


我認為是因為：人們習慣性把「語言」想作是「很多字、詞、句」的集合。講話時，「有啲」用法對，「有啲」用法錯，所以就成了「我啲中文」了。
不過這是一個new topic，按規則應該新開thread。


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## xiaolijie

1 said:
			
		

> As for 遟/迟, I normally won't use it in Mandarin except in compounds: 遟到/迟到: to arrive late


This is also my understanding. However,



			
				2 said:
			
		

> 现在已经很晚了/现在已经很迟了。
> 你怎么这么晚才到/你怎么这么迟才到。
> It seems no difference to me.


I don't consider 迟 as used in these sentences is wrong. But is it wide spread? And does it give kind of regional flavour? If not, doesn't it contradict quote 1 above?


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## Youngfun

In my dialect there's no difference between 晚 and 迟 (we only have 迟) so we often we (included I) mix them up. In my region you can hear: 已经很迟了，我们回家吧。
But you can only use 晚 for "evening".

But I feel there's a little difference between 晚到了 and 迟到了。
迟到了 = late at an appointment, late for work/school
晚到了 = e.g. we arrived too late, the thief has already escaped
Do you guys make this difference?


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## SuperXW

xiaolijie said:


> I don't consider 迟 as used in these sentences is wrong. But is it wide spread? And does it give kind of regional flavour? If not, doesn't it contradict quote 1 above?


In Mandarin, I feel it's kind of formal, rather than regional.


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## Testing1234567

Youngfun said:


> In my dialect there's no difference between 晚 and 迟 (we only have 迟) so we often we (included I) mix them up. In my region you can hear: 已经很迟了，我们回家吧。


What is your dialect?


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## ellecelia

haaa... so interesting that no one makes it right.
"晚" is more commonly used for us than “迟". 
for example: 好晚哦，我们该走了哦。 no one will speak 好迟。。。
迟 could be 迟到，there's a song called, 迟来的爱。 it's more used in some literal text.  some names are also used this for example the bi-name 蔚迟

晚, could be 晚上，天晚了，你来晚了， or 晚了 (it's too late),什么都做不了了！

Youngfun is wrong, no one will say 已经很迟了，我们回家吧。， unless that family is very old traditional one.
Instead, we say, 已经很晚了，我们回家吧。


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## 枫十二

xiaolijie said:


> I don't consider 迟 as used in these sentences is wrong. But is it wide spread? And does it give kind of regional flavour? If not, doesn't it contradict quote 1 above?



I am sorry for my misleading. I don’t know whether it is wide spread. In my city, 迟and 晚 have already merged into each other. If I have to tell the difference between them:

睡觉吧，现在已经很晚了。（common）
睡觉吧，现在已经很迟了。（not as common as 晚，but exist）

你怎么这么晚才到.(common)
你怎么这么迟才到.(common too)
But I’d like to use:你怎么迟到那么久/你怎么晚到那么久。

Where is quote 1? Is that Stellari’s answer ?If so:
My understanding of Stellari’s answer:
这是迟早的是事。/这是早晚的事。They have the same meaning and both are very common.
怎麼你們每個也那麼晚才來到？/怎么你们每个也那么晚才来？
Should be怎么你们每个都那么晚才到?/怎么你们每个都那么晚才来?

I don’t know why I contradict it.


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## Youngfun

Testing1234567 said:


> What is your dialect?


浙江溫州話。



ellecelia said:


> Youngfun is wrong, no one will say 已经很迟了，我们回家吧。， unless that family is very old traditional one.


I'm sorry but how do you know how people from my hometown talk? The world, or even China, is bigger than you think.


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## Skatinginbc

Youngfun said:


> But I feel there's a little difference between 晚到了 and 迟到了。
> 迟到了 = late at an appointment, late for work/school
> 晚到了 = e.g. we arrived too late, the thief has already escaped
> Do you guys make this difference?


Yes, I do.  
Polite: 协助晚到旅客迅速通过安检. vs. Impolite: 协助迟到旅客迅速通过安检.
遲 has the connotations of 緩, 慢, 猶豫、拖延, against an implied standard of speed or time. 
晚 is often associated with a phase in time (e.g., 傍晚, 晚上, 晚秋, 晚年) as if the time is divided into several intervals. 
遲婚 ==> against 適婚年齡, an implied standard. 
晚婚 ==> 法定婚龄以上三年结婚的(男25，女23)即是晚婚, which is not necessarily 遲婚。


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