每晚 (měi wǎn) literally combines 每 (měi), meaning 'every' or 'each', and 晚 (wǎn), meaning 'evening' or 'night'. Together, it functions as an adverb meaning 'every evening' — indicating a repeated action that occurs each day during the evening hours, typically between late afternoon and bedtime. It emphasizes regularity and frequency, similar to English phrases like 'each night' or 'nightly'.

This term is commonly used in daily routines, schedules, habits, or descriptions of recurring events — such as studying, exercising, watching TV, or calling family. Unlike time nouns like 晚上 (wǎnshang, 'in the evening'), 每晚 cannot serve as a subject or object; it modifies verbs to express habitual timing. It usually appears before the verb (e.g., 每晚看书), though it may also appear at the sentence beginning for emphasis. It carries a neutral, standard register and is appropriate in both spoken and written Chinese.