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端午节 (Duān wǔ jié) — Dragon Boat Festival (5th day of the 5th lunar month)

Definition

A traditional Chinese holiday on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, known in English as the Dragon Boat Festival. Customs include eating zongzi and racing dragon boats, in memory of the poet Qu Yuan.

noun
Dragon Boat Festival (5th day of the 5th lunar month)

Examples

  • 端午节？
    Jīn nián Duān wǔ jié shì nǎ yì tiān?
    What day is the Dragon Boat Festival this year?
  • 端午节。
    Wǒ men quán jiā yì qǐ bāo zòng zi guò Duān wǔ jié.
    Our whole family makes zongzi together to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival.
  • 端午节。
    Duān wǔ jié De chuán tǒng huó dòng shì sài lóng zhōu.
    The traditional activity of the Dragon Boat Festival is dragon boat racing.

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.

端午initial fifth
端duāninitial午wǔfifth
偏正Modifier + head
节jiéfestival

端午 points to the initial fifth day, and 节 marks it as a festival.

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
立立lì
Sound part声符shēngfú
耑
耑zhuān端duān
Same sound today

端 is made by putting 立 beside 耑. The 立 part is connected to the meaning, and 耑 gives the sound.

Open 端 →

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.

Open 午 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 節; 节 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺮Written in full as竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
即
即jí節jié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 節 pairs ⺮ (bamboo) with 即, which gives the sound; the bamboo part points to a node of bamboo. The simplified 节 is a later abbreviation.

Open 节 →
Appears in
HSK 2.0 Level 6

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