<p><a href="http://www.zdic.net/z/15/js/508D.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">傍</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>　1. 靠：依山～水。</p>
<p>　2. 临近：～晚。～黑。～亮。</p>
<p>汉英互译</p>
<p>◎ 傍</p>
<p>be close to　　　draw near</p>
<p>English</p>
<p>by side of, beside, near, close</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.zdic.net/c/d/4/9503.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">傍晚</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>[evening;at dusk (nightfall);toward evening] 靠近晚上的时候。亦称“黄昏”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>傍晚 basically is compromised of 傍 &quot;close (to)&quot; + 晚上 &quot;nighttime&quot;</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://www.zdic.net/c/a/14b/328050.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">晚上</a></strong></p>
<blockquote>
<p>[evening;night] 从日落或晚饭至寝宴的一段时间</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Chinese literally says night is beginning at nightfall or <em>dinner</em> time.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.zdic.net/z/1b/js/665A.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">晚</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>太阳落了的时候</p>
</blockquote>
<p>time after sunset</p>
<hr />
<p>as to whether they are interchangeable or not, well this really depends on the cognitive abilities of each person - my <strong>dusk</strong> might be your <strong>nighttime</strong> - it's hard to say for sure.</p>
<hr />
<p>as for the entomology of 晚 <strong>Outlier</strong> says:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>COMPONENTS</p>
<p>日 In 晚, 日 is a semantic component.</p>
<p>免 In 晚 wǎn, 免 miǎn is a sound component, though this is not obvious in modern Mandarin.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-15T12:25:49.850Z
免 is the sound component in  晚, but it is also a semantic component. 日 is sun;  免 carries the meaning of 'remove from'  晚 = remove the sun (from the sky). It is a 會意形聲字 (combined ideogram with phonetic component)
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-15T10:06:01.917Z
2017-07-15T10:25:33.523Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Mou某
<p>As in the title. Are there any cases when these two are interchangeable? If yes, when? What are the nuances that distinguish them? It would be great if one can tackle the etymology of the two.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-15T10:33:25.217Z
bkrs：傍晚 in the evening
when night falls
towards evening
at night fall
at dusk  晚上evening
night
CL:个[gè]
in the evening (as reflected by English translation, the first being more colorful)
user6065
<difference><characters><etymology><glyph-origin>
Difference between 傍晚 and 晚上 and their etymology
# Difference between 傍晚 and 晚上 and their etymology

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-07-15)

As in the title. Are there any cases when these two are interchangeable? If yes, when? What are the nuances that distinguish them? It would be great if one can tackle the etymology of the two.

**Tags:** difference, characters, etymology, glyph-origin

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: bkrs：傍晚 in the evening when night falls towards evening at night fall at dusk  晚上evening night CL:个[gè] in the evening (as reflected by English translation, the first being more colorful)  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2017-07-15. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

[傍](http://www.zdic.net/z/15/js/508D.htm)

> 　1. 靠：依山～水。
>
> 　2. 临近：～晚。～黑。～亮。
>
> 汉英互译
>
> ◎ 傍
>
> be close to　　　draw near
>
> English
>
> by side of, beside, near, close

[傍晚](http://www.zdic.net/c/d/4/9503.htm)

> [evening;at dusk (nightfall);toward evening] 靠近晚上的时候。亦称“黄昏”

傍晚 basically is compromised of 傍 "close (to)" + 晚上 "nighttime"

**[晚上](http://www.zdic.net/c/a/14b/328050.htm)**

> [evening;night] 从日落或晚饭至寝宴的一段时间

The Chinese literally says night is beginning at nightfall or *dinner* time.

[晚](http://www.zdic.net/z/1b/js/665A.htm)

> 太阳落了的时候

time after sunset

---

as to whether they are interchangeable or not, well this really depends on the cognitive abilities of each person - my **dusk** might be your **nighttime** - it's hard to say for sure.

---

as for the entomology of 晚 **Outlier** says:

> COMPONENTS
>
> 日 In 晚, 日 is a semantic component.
>
> 免 In 晚 wǎn, 免 miǎn is a sound component, though this is not obvious in modern Mandarin.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: 免 is the sound component in  晚, but it is also a semantic component. 日 is sun;  免 carries the meaning of 'remove from'  晚 = remove the sun (from the sky). It is a 會意形聲字 (combined ideogram with phonetic component)  

---

