阴历 (yīn lì) — lunar calendar | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

The lunar calendar, used for traditional Chinese festivals like 春节. Pair with 阳历 (the Gregorian/solar calendar) to contrast the two systems; 农历 is the more common everyday name for the same calendar.

noun

lunar calendar

Easily confused

阳历yáng lìlook-alikesolar calendar; the Gregorian calendar (as opposed to the lunar calendar)

Examples

阴历。
Wǒ de shēng rì shì yīn lì liù yuè shí wǔ.
My birthday is the fifteenth day of the sixth lunar month.
阴历。
Zài zhōng guó de chuán tǒng jié rì dōu shì àn zhào yīn lì lái de.
In China, traditional festivals are all based on the lunar calendar.
阴历。
Rén men gēn jù yīn lì guò chūn jié.
People celebrate Spring Festival based on the lunar calendar.

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.

阴yīnlunar

历lìcalendar

The lunar quality of 阴 combines with calendar in 历 to name the moon-based reckoning.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 陰; 阴 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

阜阜fù

Sound part声符shēngfú

侌

侌yīn陰yīn

Same sound today

The traditional form 陰 combines 阜, the meaning part, with 侌, the sound part. The simplified 阴 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 阴 →

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 歷; 历 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 历 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (简历, 经历) it is 歷; in others (日历) it is 曆.

厤止歷

Meaning part形符xíngfú

止止zhǐ

Sound part声符shēngfú

厤

厤lì歷lì

Same sound today

The form 歷 pairs 止 with the sound part 厤.