正午 (zhèng wǔ) — high noon, midday | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

high noonmidday

Examples

正午。
Wǒ men yuē dìng zài zhèng wǔ jiàn miàn.
We agreed to meet at noon.
正午，。
zhèng wǔ De tài yáng hěn dú, zuì hǎo bié chū mén.
The sun is very harsh at noon; it's best not to go out.
正午。
Tā měi tiān zhèng wǔ dōu huì xiū xi yí gè xiǎo shí.
He takes an hour's rest at noon every day.

Origin

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.

正 points to the exact middle, while 午 names noon, together meaning high noon.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

丁

丁dīng正zhèng

Same sound today

正 pairs 止 with 丁; 止 marks the sense and 丁 gives the sound.

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

The shape of 午 comes from a drawing of a pestle, a heavy tool used for pounding.

Appears in

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