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How to Say ‘The day before the meal’ in Simplified Chinese

用餐前一天

yòng cān qián yī tiān

[yohng-tsahn chyen ee tyen]

💬 Usage Tip: Chinese time phrases often stack from bigger idea to smaller one: [用餐前一天] is literally "meal-before-one day," meaning the day before the meal. You'll see the same order in [出发前一天] "the day before departure."

Phrase Breakdown

用餐

yòng cān

[yohng-tsahn]

to dine; to have a meal

A formal or polite way to say eat a meal, often used in restaurants and reservation rules.

Example

用餐前一天取消,很多餐厅不会收取消费。

If you cancel the day before dining, many restaurants will not charge a cancellation fee.

前一天

qián yī tiān

the day before

Refers to the day immediately before another day.

Example

前一天晚上要确认。

Confirm it the night before.

Words in this phrase

qián

[chyen]

before; previous

Used to show earlier than a specific time or event; here it helps mean 'the day before dining.'

Example

用餐前一天里,“前”表示在用餐日之前。

In 用餐前一天, 前 means before the dining day.

[ee]

one

The number one; in this phrase it marks a single day before the event.

Example

用餐前一天中的“一”就是说一天,不是两天。

The 一 in 用餐前一天 means one day, not two days.

tiān

[tyen]

day

A common measure word for a day in dates, schedules, and deadlines.

Example

用餐前一天里的“天”表示日期单位。

In 用餐前一天, 天 indicates the unit of days.

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