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十二月 (shí èr yuè) — December; the twelfth month of the lunar calendar

Definition

In modern Chinese this is simply 'December' (Gregorian). The literal reading 'the twelfth month' is occasionally used in classical or literary contexts, but learners should treat it as the name of the month.

noun
Decemberthe twelfth month of the lunar calendar

Examples

  • 十二月，。
    shí èr yuè De tiān qì hěn lěng, nǐ yào duō chuān yī fu.
    December's weather is very cold; you should wear more clothes.
  • 十二月。
    Wǒ zài shí èr yuè yǒu yí gè zhòng yào de huì yì.
    I have an important meeting in December.
  • 十二月，。
    shí èr yuè Shì nián dǐ, dà jiā dōu zài zhǔn bèi guò nián.
    December is the end of the year, and everyone is preparing for the New Year.

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.

十二twelve
十shíten二èrtwo
联合Coordinate
月yuèmonth

十二 gives the number 12, and 月 names the month, so it means the twelfth month.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The early shape 十 was mostly a single vertical stroke, sometimes with a dot, and later gained a horizontal stroke to form a cross. For the number ten, it marked the next digit above one.

Open 十 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

二 is drawn as two parallel strokes, where the number of strokes shows the amount.

Open 二 →

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

月 was drawn as a crescent moon, with the curved outline showing the moon’s shape.

Open 月 →
Appears in
Months & Dates

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