1.
broad daylight, middle of the day
The brightest part of the day, emphasizing that it is clearly daytime with full sunlight.
真っ昼間から寝ている。
They're sleeping in broad daylight.
真っ昼間にそんなことをするなんて。
To do such a thing in broad daylight!
真っ昼間の繁華街で事件が起きた。
An incident occurred in the busy downtown area in broad daylight.
真っ昼間 emphasizes 'right in the middle of the day' or 'in broad daylight.' The 真っ prefix intensifies the meaning, similar to 真っ暗 (pitch dark) and 真っ赤 (bright red).
NUANCE:
Often carries surprise or criticism — the speaker implies the action is inappropriate or unusual for daytime. Common with actions normally done at night or in private.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 真っ昼間から〜: doing ~ starting from broad daylight (implies laziness or boldness)
- 真っ昼間に〜: doing ~ in broad daylight (implies brazenness)
- 真っ昼間の繁華街: downtown in broad daylight
CONTRAST:
- 昼間: daytime (neutral)
- 真っ昼間: broad daylight (emphatic, often judgmental)