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元宵节 (Yuán xiāo jié) — Lantern Festival, the final event of the Spring Festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month

Definition

Lantern Festival, the 15th day of the first lunar month and the final day of the Spring Festival celebration. Traditional foods include 汤圆; lanterns and riddles are also central customs.

noun
Lantern Festival, the final event of the Spring Festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month

Examples

  • 元宵节。
    Měi nián Yuán xiāo jié wǒ men dōu huì chī tāng yuán.
    Every year during the Lantern Festival we eat tangyuan.
  • 元宵节？
    Nǐ cān jiā guò Yuán xiāo jié de dēng huì ma?
    Have you ever attended the lantern fair of the Lantern Festival?
  • 元宵节。
    Yuán xiāo jié Shì chūn jié de zuì hòu yì tiān.
    The Lantern Festival is the last day of the Spring Festival.

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.

元宵first night
元yuánfirst宵xiāonight
偏正Modifier + head
节jiéfestival

元 first and 宵 night point to the first night of the lunar year, and 节 names the festival.

Characters in this word

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

The shape 元 shows a figure with two lines for a head, one connected to the body and one above it, emphasizing the head.

Open 元 →

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
肖
肖xiào宵xiāo
Same sound today

宵 pairs 宀 (roof) with 肖, a part that gives the sound.

Open 宵 →

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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