下午

下午 (xiàwǔ) means 'afternoon,' literally 'below noon' (下 'below/after' + 午 'noon'). It covers roughly noon to 6 pm in everyday Chinese usage. Like other time words, 下午 comes before the verb: 我下午有课 'I have class in the afternoon.' To specify a clock time, the time word goes first: 下午三点 'three p.m.' Note the parallel set: 上午 (shàngwǔ) 'morning / a.

m.' (literally 'above noon'), 中午 (zhōngwǔ) 'noon,' 下午 'afternoon / p.m.' Together they cover the day. The greeting 下午好 (xiàwǔ hǎo) 'good afternoon' exists but is rarely used between friends — Chinese speakers usually just say 你好 regardless of the time of day.