1. the part of the day between noon and evening
一天中介於中午和傍晚之間的時段
I usually take a nap in the afternoon.
我通常在下午小睡一會兒。
The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
會議安排在星期二下午。
It gets cooler in the late afternoon.
傍晚時分天氣會變得涼爽一些。
Afternoon Meaning（定義、用法、例句與發音）
afternoon
noun
快速理解
What does "Afternoon" mean?What are 2-3 core uses of "Afternoon"?
指中午之後到傍晚之前的這段時間。
- 1
時間段
EN: the period of time from noon until evening
翻譯: 從中午到傍晚的這段時間。
- 2
問候語
EN: used as a greeting (Good afternoon!)
翻譯: 用作問候語（午安！）。
- 3
活動或事件
EN: an event or activity happening in this time
翻譯: 指在此時間段內發生的活動或事件。
- 4
後期
EN: a later period (e.g., of life, history)
翻譯: 指生命、歷史等的後期階段。
小提醒：注意「afternoon」的範圍是從中午（12點左右）開始，到傍晚（約5-6點）結束，與「evening」（傍晚/晚上）不同。
發音（How to Pronounce "Afternoon" in English）
How to pronounce "Afternoon" in English?"Afternoon" US vs UK pronunciation
點擊下方的 US / UK 按鈕可播放發音。
Real-life Examples of "Afternoon" from YouTube Videos
Introduction at Startup School NY 2014
Y Combinator
“I'm so happy Startup School is here, and I hope the rest of this afternoon is as valuable and entertaining for you all as I know it will be for me,”
(1 out of 48)
Definitions（定義）
What are the definitions of "Afternoon"?How does "Afternoon" change by context?
2. a greeting used during the afternoon hours
下午時分的問候語
"Good afternoon," she said as she entered the room.
她走進房間時說：「下午好。」
He greeted his neighbor with a cheerful "Good afternoon!"
他愉快地向鄰居打招呼說：「下午好！」
3. the later part of a period, era, or lifetime
一段時期、時代或人生的後期
He wrote his most famous works in the afternoon of his life.
他在人生的後期寫出了他最著名的作品。
The empire was in its afternoon, slowly declining in power.
帝國正處於其衰落期，勢力正慢慢減弱。
Grammar & Patterns（句型）
What are common sentence patterns for "Afternoon"?How to make natural sentences with "Afternoon"?
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| in the afternoon | 在下午 | I usually take a nap in the afternoon. (我通常在下午小睡一會兒。) |
| on + [specific date] + afternoon | 在某個特定日期的下午 | We met on Sunday afternoon. (我們在星期天下午見面。) |
| this afternoon | 今天下午 | She will arrive this afternoon. (她今天下午會到。) |
| tomorrow afternoon | 明天下午 | Let's discuss it tomorrow afternoon. (我們明天下午討論吧。) |
| yesterday afternoon | 昨天下午 | It rained heavily yesterday afternoon. (昨天下午雨下得很大。) |
| a + [adjective] + afternoon | 一個…的下午 | We spent a relaxing afternoon at the park. (我們在公園度過了一個悠閒的下午。) |
| the afternoon of + [event] | …事件的下午 | He left on the afternoon of the party. (他在派對舉行的當天下午離開了。) |
| afternoon + [noun] | 下午的… | I enjoy the afternoon sun. (我喜歡午後的陽光。) |
| all afternoon | 整個下午 | The children played outside all afternoon. (孩子們在外面玩了整個下午。) |
| late afternoon | 傍晚 | The meeting is scheduled for late afternoon. (會議安排在傍晚舉行。) |
用法說明
How is "Afternoon" different from similar structures?What usage mistakes are common with "Afternoon"?
in the afternoon vs. on ... afternoon
- in the afternoon 用於泛指「在下午」這個時段，不特指某一天。
- on ... afternoon 則用於特指某一天的下午，前面通常會加上
this,that,Monday,a sunny等詞來具體說明。 - 當 afternoon 前面有
this,that,tomorrow,yesterday,every,one等詞，或所有格（如my）時，通常使用on或直接省略介系詞。 - 在美式英語中，特指某天的下午有時也可見到使用
in，但on是更普遍且不會出錯的選擇。 EN: I usually take a nap in the afternoon. 翻譯: 我通常在下午會小睡一下。
EN:We met for coffee on Monday afternoon.
翻譯:我們週一下午見面喝了咖啡。
總結建議
一般情況下，泛指用 in the afternoon，特指某一天則用 on ... afternoon。
易混淆對比
What is the difference between "Afternoon" and similar words?How to choose "Afternoon" vs alternatives?
afternoon vs evening
afternoon 指中午到傍晚前（約12:00-18:00），evening 指傍晚到夜晚前（約18:00-21:00）。
afternoon vs midday
afternoon 是下午時段，midday 則特指正午12點左右或中午時分。
afternoon vs dusk
afternoon 是下午，dusk 則特指黃昏、傍晚天色漸暗的短暫時段。
口語用法
How is "Afternoon" used in spoken English?What is the spoken vs formal difference for "Afternoon"?
引述
在轉述對話或提及某個時間點時，常用來引出具體情境。 EN: He was like, "Let's meet up in the afternoon," and I agreed. 翻譯: 他就說：「我們下午見吧。」然後我就同意了。
EN:So I told her, "This afternoon is totally booked."
翻譯:所以我就跟她說：「今天下午完全沒空了。」
語氣強調
加上特定形容詞或重音，用來強調時間的性質或表達個人感受。 EN: Ugh, I have a meeting this entire afternoon. 翻譯: 唉，我整個下午都要開會。
EN:That was such a lazy Sunday afternoon.
翻譯:那真是個超級慵懶的星期天下午。
停頓填充
在思考或組織語句時，用來填充短暫的停頓，使對話更自然。 EN: What should we do... this afternoon... maybe go for a walk? 翻譯: 我們該做什麼呢…今天下午…或許去散個步？
EN:I was thinking, you know, tomorrow afternoon, we could finally finish that project.
翻譯:我在想，你知道的，明天下午，我們終於可以把那個專案做完。
注意：以上用法均屬口語或非正式對話，在正式書寫（如報告、論文、正式信件）中應避免使用，應直接、明確地陳述時間。
常見短語
What common collocations use "Afternoon"?What fixed phrases with "Afternoon" should I remember?
good afternoon
interjection
午安（下午見面時的問候語）
in the afternoon
prepositional phrase
在下午
this afternoon
noun phrase
今天下午
yesterday afternoon
noun phrase
昨天下午
tomorrow afternoon
noun phrase
明天下午
late afternoon
noun phrase
傍晚，下午稍晚時分
afternoon tea
noun phrase
下午茶
spend the afternoon
verb phrase
度過下午時光
常見錯誤
What are common mistakes with "Afternoon"?Which "Afternoon" sentences look correct but are wrong?
×I will see you in afternoon.
✓I will see you in the afternoon.
在表示泛指或特定時段的下午時，'afternoon' 前面通常需要定冠詞 'the'。
×I spent many afternoons at the library.
✓I spent many afternoons at the library.
此處 'afternoons' 作為可數名詞複數形式使用是正確的，表示多個下午。常見錯誤是誤以為它不可數而不敢加 's'。
×The event will happen in Sunday afternoon.
✓The event will happen on Sunday afternoon.
當 'afternoon' 前面有星期幾或特定日期修飾時，介系詞應使用 'on'，而不是 'in'。
×good Afternoon, everyone.
✓Good afternoon, everyone.
作為問候語時，'Good afternoon' 是一個固定片語，'Good' 首字母大寫，但 'afternoon' 保持小寫，除非在句首。
×I'm busy in that afternoon.
✓I'm busy that afternoon.
當使用 'this', 'that', 'tomorrow', 'yesterday' 等詞直接修飾 'afternoon' 時，通常不需要介系詞 'in'。
×It's an afternoon class from 1 to 4 pm.
✓It's an afternoon class from 1 to 4 p.m.
在正式或書面英語中，表示下午的時間應使用 'p.m.'（或 'pm'），並注意標點。常見錯誤是忘記使用或錯誤使用時間標示。
詞形變化
What are the word forms of "Afternoon"?What are tense/participle forms of "Afternoon"?