# 是夜 / 今夜



## indigoduck

Hi all,

What's the difference in meaning between 是夜 vs. 今夜 in terms of usage? 

Is one a written form, and the other is spoken form ?

For example: 是夜转到香港见面

Thanks in advance.


----------



## xubin

Same meaning
spoken & written form: 今夜 or 今晚
written form：是夜 (rarely used, only appears in poems or lyrics)


----------



## rhapsody_z

是夜 is quite ancient chinese. It is rarely used nowadays but can be still seen in some southern languages.


----------



## name my name

In ancient Chinese, 是 means 这个。 But in nowadays this usage is not acceptable now. So we do not use this meaning now.
Compared to 今晚，今夜 is more likely to be written language.


----------



## Kevin70s

An imprecise but perhaps instructive analogy: 是 is to 今 as thee is to you.


----------



## indigoduck

Kevin70s said:


> An imprecise but perhaps instructive analogy: 是 is to 今 as thee is to you.


 
Thank you.


----------



## Analgesia

是，literally means ：this ，but has been regarded to be an obsolete usage already,and less frequenctly being used nowadays


----------



## pcbomb

是夜 emphasizes tonight, 今夜 is neutral


----------



## Clement_Sun

*是夜: this night
今夜: tonight

this may be a better explanation.
*


----------



## Perhaps Chen

I would never say 是夜 if I am not playing with words


----------



## indigoduck

Clement_Sun said:


> *是夜: this night*
> *今夜: tonight*
> 
> *this may be a better explanation.*


 
If today is May 12 and I said 是夜, i mean the night of May 12, right?
And, if i said 今夜, i also mean the night of May 12, right ?

Honestly, i don't see a difference.

Maybe 是夜 is meant to be said softly like in a poem, and 今夜 is meant for normal speech.


----------



## Perhaps Chen

indigoduck said:


> If today is May 12 and I said 是夜, i mean the night of May 12, right?
> And, if i said 今夜, i also mean the night of May 12, right ?
> 
> Honestly, i don't see a difference.
> 
> Maybe 是夜 is meant to be said softly like in a poem, and 今夜 is meant for normal speech.



I saw often 今夜，rather than 是夜，in poem. In fact, 夜，is already a character soft. Like this sentence: 今夜无人安眠 or 今夜星光灿烂。they are both poetic enough, said in the sentimental manner.

I often hear 是夜 in the ancient articles, literature works, theaters. When someone uses this word, he sounds stately, serious, neutral.


----------



## Perhaps Chen

Perhaps Chen said:


> I saw often 今夜，rather than 是夜，in poem. In fact, 夜，is already a character soft. Like this sentence: 今夜无人安眠 or 今夜星光灿烂。they are both poetic enough, said in the sentimental manner.
> 
> I often hear 是夜 in the ancient articles, literature works, theaters. When someone uses this word, he sounds stately, serious, neutral.



And, 是夜 means on that night. If is very specific.


----------



## Clement_Sun

indigoduck said:


> If today is May 12 and I said 是夜, i mean the night of May 12, right?
> And, if i said 今夜, i also mean the night of May 12, right ?
> 
> Honestly, i don't see a difference.
> 
> Maybe 是夜 is meant to be said softly like in a poem, and 今夜 is meant for normal speech.



Yes,  they both can be used in that way but there is a subtle difference.

今夜:   tonight
是夜:  it is said as if it were someone else in the future narrating a story in the past and is often used to make your narrative look formal and poetic.

Hence,  if today is the 12th May 2012 or any random day after 12th May 2011,  you, as a historian, describe the event on 12th May: 是夜, 月朗星稀.

hope i made it clear.


----------



## Perhaps Chen

Clement_Sun said:


> Yes,  they both can be used in that way but there is a subtle difference.
> 
> 今夜:   tonight
> 是夜:  it is said as if it were someone else in the future narrating a story in the past and is often used to make your narrative look formal and poetic.
> 
> Hence,  if today is the 12th May 2012 or any random day after 12th May 2011,  you, as a historian, describe the event on 12th May: 是夜, 月朗星稀.
> 
> hope i made it clear.




Example of class. lol. and always a coma along with 是夜，isn't it?


----------



## BODYholic

It could be the influence from all the Hong Kong comics I read last 10+years, I tend to agree with Sun and Chen that 是夜 is relative and it typically refers to *that* night or any night that follows immediately after some known events.

Some comics, for examples, may have stories that span a few pages. Then, suddenly it has one frame that indicates night time. Only two words are added - "是夜" in this frame. Here, it means the immediate night of those events that transpired earlier.

It's rare but you may use it in contemporary Chinese. Example, "行李准备好了之后，我们是夜出发。". Again, 是夜 is the night when your luggage is packed.

Hope this helps.


----------



## kingchen

是夜：that night  (seldomly use,mostly appear in the story)
今夜：tonight    (soft and not oral)
今晚：normal (often use)


----------



## breakfast

今夜：tonight
是夜：never heard of this before


----------



## verastar

Clement_Sun said:


> Yes, they both can be used in that way but there is a subtle difference.
> 
> 今夜: tonight
> 是夜: it is said as if it were someone else in the future narrating a story in the past and is often used to make your narrative look formal and poetic.
> 
> Hence, if today is the 12th May 2012 or any random day after 12th May 2011, you, as a historian, describe the event on 12th May: 是夜, 月朗星稀.
> 
> hope i made it clear.


 
Agreed.
I do not really think "是夜" means tonight. Maybe it can be used as "that night"?


----------

