burn the midnight oil; work or study late into the night
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 5 examplesverb phrase
to burn the midnight oil; to work or study late into the night to meet a deadline
informalA common metaphor. It emphasizes working beyond normal hours, often due to time pressure.
Wèi为
le了
zhǔn准
bèi备
kǎo考
shì试
，
tā他
zuó昨
wǎn晚
kāi开
le了
gè个
yè夜
chē车
。
He burned the midnight oil last night to prepare for the exam.
Kāi开
le了
yī一
gè个
yè夜
chē车
，
cái才
bǎ把
zhè这
piān篇
gǎo稿
zi子
gǎn赶
le了
chū出
lái来
。
Only by working through the night did I manage to finish this draft.
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Xiàng项
mù目
jié截
zhǐ止
rì日
qī期
kuài快
dào到
le了
，
zhěng整
gè个
tuán团
duì队
dōu都
zài在
kāi开
yè夜
chē车
。
The project deadline is approaching, so the whole team is burning the midnight oil.
Lín临
shí时
jiē接
dào到
rèn任
wù务
，
jīn今
wǎn晚
yòu又
děi得
kāi开
yè夜
chē车
le了
。
I received a task at the last minute, so I'll have to work late again tonight.
Tā她
bù不
xǐ喜
huan欢
kāi开
yè夜
chē车
，
jué觉
de得
xiào效
lǜ率
bù不
gāo高
。
She doesn't like to burn the midnight oil, feeling it's not very efficient.