月初 (yuè chū) — beginning of the month

Definition

月初 (yuèchū) means 'the beginning of the month,' used like a time noun (e.g., 月初会发工资). Contrast with 月底 'the end of the month.'

noun

beginning of the month

月初。
Wǒ men tōng cháng zài yuè chū fù fáng zū.
We usually pay rent at the beginning of the month.
月初。
Gōng sī yuè chū huì fā shàng ge yuè de gōng zī.
The company pays last month's salary at the beginning of the month.
月初。
yuè chū De tiān qì bǐ yuè dǐ liáng kuai yì xiē.
The weather at the beginning of the month is a bit cooler than at the end.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

初chūbeginning

The beginning 初 is specified as belonging to a month 月.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

月 was drawn as a crescent moon, with the curved outline showing the moon’s shape.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

衤刀初

初 combines 衤 (clothes) and 刀 (knife), showing the start of making clothes by cutting cloth.