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中午 (zhōng wǔ) — noon, midday

Definition

The clock time around 12:00, 'noon / midday.' Pairs with 上午 (morning) and 下午 (afternoon) to split the daytime. Not a meal — for the food itself use 午饭 or 午餐.

noun
noonmidday
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 中午。
    Wǒ zhōng wǔ zài jiā chī fàn.
    I eat lunch at home at noon.
  • 中午？
    Nǐ zhōng wǔ shuì jiào ma?
    Do you take a nap at noon?
  • 中午。
    Jīn tiān zhōng wǔ hěn rè.
    It's very hot at noon today.

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.

中zhōngmiddle
午wǔnoon

中 marks the middle, and 午 refers to the noon period.

Characters in this word

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

The original picture showed a flagpole with a drum in the middle, set up in the center of a field.

Open 中 →

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 →
Appears in
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