Sweet Dreams 🌜 How to Say ‘Goodnight’ in Chinese

Q: What’s the most common way to say goodnight in Chinese?

The most common way is [speak 晚安] (wǎn ān).

Q: How do you say sweet dreams in Chinese?

To say sweet dreams, you can use [speak 好梦] (hǎo mèng).

Q: How do I politely say goodnight to someone older?

You can say [speak 祝您晚安] (zhù nín wǎn ān) to show respect.

Q: What’s a casual way to say rest early?

You can use [speak 早点休息] (zǎo diǎn xiū xí), which means rest early.

Q: What’s an idiom for describing the quietness of the night?

[speak 夜深人静] (yè shēn rén jìng) describes the deep quiet of the night.

Discover the Different Ways to Say Goodnight in Chinese and How to Wish Sweet Dreams

Saying “goodnight” is a simple and sweet gesture.

There are several ways to send someone off to dreamland in Chinese. Whether you’re talking to friends, family, or someone special, there are specific phrases for different contexts.

In this blog, we’ll guide you through the different ways to say goodnight and some fun extra phrases to show your care at night time!

Goodnight in Chinese || Basic Ways to Say Goodnight
Goodnight in Chinese || Sweet Dreams and Extra Phrases
Goodnight in Chinese || Formal vs. Casual Goodnight
Goodnight in Chinese || Idioms (成语) Related to Night Time
Goodnight in Chinese || FAQs

How to Say Good Evening & Good Night in Chinese, Chinese Greetings, Learn Chinese for beginners

Goodnight in Chinese || Basic Ways to Say Goodnight

Let’s start with the easiest and most common ways to say goodnight.

These are easy to remember, so you can start to say this phrase to almost everyone:

晚安
wǎn ān
Goodnight

睡个好觉
shuì gè hǎo jiào
Have a good sleep

夜好
yè hǎo
Have a good night

This is a slightly less common phrase, but it still works great to wish someone a peaceful night. It’s short, sweet, and to the point.

In a respectful context, you can wish an elderly person with:

祝你夜好！
zhù nǐ yè hǎo!
Wishing you a good night!

Goodnight in Chinese || Sweet Dreams and Extra Phrases

This is a cute way to say “sweet dreams” to someone. You can say to friends, family, or even a romantic loved one:

好梦
hǎo mèng
Sweet dreams

早点休息
zǎo diǎn xiū xí
Rest early

If you want to show care for a loved one’s well-being, this is a go-to phrase.

You usually say it at the end of the conversation to encourage them to go to bed early and rest up.

For example, at the end of late-night texts, you say:

^{zǎo diǎn xiū xí, bié tài lèi le!}

早点休息，别太累了！

_{Rest early, don’t get too tired!}

梦乡
mèng xiāng
Dreamland

This word describes the peaceful state of being asleep. It’s a poetic and gentle way to wish someone a restful night.

For example:

早点进入梦乡
zǎo diǎn jìn rù mèng xiāng
Get to dreamland soon!

500+ Chinese Vocabulary 📚Your Complete List

Chinese Vocabulary: Food, Shopping, Colors, Numbers, Sports and MORE! Learn from over 50 categories of Chinese Vocabulary to get by in China.

Goodnight in Chinese || Formal vs. Casual Goodnight

Now, let’s get to some practical phrases.

When you’re texting your friends late at night, and you’re about to go to sleep, you can say:

晚安啦
wǎn’ān la
Good night

Adding the particle 啦 (la) makes it more casual and friendly.

睡觉啦
shuì jiào la
I’m going to sleep.

It’s a very casual way to say you’re going to bed. It could also means that you are telling the other person go to sleep as well.

It also has the casual 啦 (la), so it’s a relaxing way to encourage your friends to go to sleep. You won’t sound like a mom.

^{bāi bāi, gāi shuì le}

拜拜，该睡了

_{Bye-bye, time for bed}

^{wǎn’ān, zuò gè měi mèng}

晚安，做个美梦

_{Goodnight, have a beautiful dream}

困了吧，快睡吧
kùn le ba, kuài shuì ba
You must be tired. Go to sleep soon.

The 吧 (ba) here also sounds casual when added at the end of a sentence. It’s like a friendly prompt to suggest doing something.

So this is a tender reminder to text your friend or loved ones before you go to bed.

Can we use those phrases for an elderly family member?

It’s probably okay, but it’d be better to use these formal phrases. Plus, you will leave an impression of having good manners.

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE EBOOK

Looking for reliable tools to boost your Mandarin? We’ve gathered our favourite websites, extensions, and learning platforms into one handy ebook, completely free! It’s perfect for beginners or anyone looking to refresh their skills.

👉 Get your free Mandarin Resource Pack and take your studies to the next level.

These are very literal ways to say good night respectfully. You only use it in formal letters or emails to a client or a senior leader with authority:

祝您晚安
zhù nín wǎn’ān
I wish you a good night

恭祝安眠
gōng zhù ān mián
I respectfully wish you a peaceful sleep

敬祝晚安
jìng zhù wǎn’ān
I respectfully wish you a good night

8 of The Best (& Cheesy) Chinese Pick-Up Lines || Chinese Rizz

Pick Up Lines in Chinese – Living in China and have a HUGE crush? Here are LTL’s top 8 Chinese Chat Up Lines to help you find true love.

Goodnight in Chinese || Idioms (成语) Related to Night Time

Chinese idioms are a fantastic way to deepen your language skills and express yourself in a more sophisticated way.

Plus, you got to show off your Chinese like the viral trend right now.

Here are some nighttime idioms to impress your Chinese friends.

夜深人静
yè shēn rén jìng
In the stillness of the night

This idiom describes the peacefulness of late night when everything is quiet.

Don’t you love the tranquil peace when it seems like the whole world is with you? It’d be a perfect calming night.

For example:

^{yè shēn rén jìng, wǒ xǐ huān zài zhè shí dú shū.}

夜深人静，我喜欢在这时读书。

_{I like reading during the quiet deep night.}

夜以继日
yè yǐ jì rì
The night following the day without rest

This idiom means working tirelessly, day and night, without pause in between. It usually shows that someone is so dedicated to something that he/she doesn’t take any rest.

For example:

^{tā wèi le zhè ge xiàng mù yè yǐ jì rì de gōng zuò.}

他为了这个项目夜以继日地工作。

_{He worked day and night for this project.}

挑灯夜战
tiāo dēng yè zhàn
To fight by lamplight at night

In the old times, lamps were expensive to use, so having to work with a lamp light was considered hard work.

This idiom typically refers to working on a difficult task.

For example, students often have to study hard, or people have to stay up late to work.

^{tā zhèng zài tiāo dēng yè zhàn zhǔn bèi kǎo shì.}

她正在挑灯夜战准备考试。

_{She’s burning the lamp oil till midnight preparing for the exam.}

安然入梦
ān rán rù mèng
Enter dreams peacefully

安然 (ān rán) means a state of calmness and peace. It’s an easy idiom to understand.

Remember those nights when you wind down perfectly and fall asleep without even noticing it? You can describe those as 安然入梦 (ān rán rù mèn).

昼夜颠倒
zhòu yè diān dǎo
Day and night turned upside down

This idiom refers to having your sleep schedule reversed after pulling an all-nighter.

When something messes up your schedule or you have to hit an urgent deadline, this idiom is a great one to use. For example:

^{Zuì jìn jiā bān tài duō, wǒ jiǎn zhí zhòu yè diān dǎo}

最近加班太多，我简直昼夜颠倒

_{I’ve been working overtime so much lately that my schedule is complete reversed.}

Great. Start texting your friends, family members, or special loved ones with these phrases to wish them a good sleep. Soon, you will be speaking like a local Chinese!