坐以待旦 — “To sit up all night waiting for daybreak”
坐以待旦 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to sit up all night waiting for daybreak”. To remain awake until dawn, often implying diligence, vigilance, or eager anticipation for a task or event. Literally, “Sit awaiting daybreak”.
Frequency
坐以待旦 Pronunciation and Pinyin
坐以待旦 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 坐以待旦
为了赶制这份紧急报告，他常常工作到深夜，坐以待旦
To complete this urgent report, he often worked late into the night, remaining awake until dawn.
Idioms Related to 坐以待旦
Synonyms of 坐以待旦
More idioms starting with 坐
- zuò坐shàng上qín琴xīn心man's deep love for a woman
- zuò坐bù不chuí垂táng堂avoid dangerous places or situations
- zuò坐bù不ān安xí席too anxious to sit still
- zuò坐bù不kuī窥táng堂sit properly without looking around
- zuò坐bù不chóng重xí席live a frugal and simple life
- zuò坐yú于tú涂tàn炭to be in a wretched and filthy state
- zuò坐jǐng井kuī窥tiān天to have a very limited outlook
- zuò坐jǐng井guān观tiān天have a limited outlook
- zuò坐xiǎng享qí其gōng功enjoy others' hard work
- zuò坐xiǎng享qí其chéng成enjoy others' achievements without effort
- zuò坐yǐ以dài待wáng亡sit idly and await doom
- zuò坐yǐ以dài待bì毙Sit and wait for death
Recommended tools
Bingo Cards
Picture and word Bingo for your class
Open the tool →
Picture Worksheets
Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets
Open the tool →
Chinese Text Image Generator
Create PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
Open the tool →
Writing Worksheets
Printable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
Open the tool →Questions about 坐以待旦
What does 坐以待旦 mean?
坐以待旦 (zuò yǐ dài dàn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to sit up all night waiting for daybreak”.
How do you pronounce 坐以待旦?
坐以待旦 is pronounced zuò yǐ dài dàn in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 坐以待旦 literally mean?
Literally, 坐以待旦 means “Sit awaiting daybreak”. It is used to mean “to sit up all night waiting for daybreak”.
What is the Chinese definition of 坐以待旦?
旦：天亮。坐着等天亮。比喻办事勤劳。