Definition
午 has two main uses in Chinese. In the traditional 干支 (tiāngān dìzhī) system of ten heavenly stems and twelve earthly branches, 午 is the seventh earthly branch, associated with the hours 11:00–13:00, the direction south, and the zodiac horse. As a standalone noun it also means 'noon' or 'midday', appearing in common compounds like 中午 (noon), 午饭 (lunch), and 上午/下午 (morning/afternoon). Midnight is expressed with 午夜, not 午 alone.
n.
noonmiddaythe seventh of the twelve Earthly Branchesused in traditional timekeepingastrologyand calendar systems
Examples
- ，。Xiànzài shì zhèng wǔ, wǒmen gāi chīfàn le.It's exactly noon, we should eat now.
- 午，。wǔ shì dì qī ge dìzhī, duìyìng de shēngxiào shì mǎ.Wu is the seventh earthly branch, and its corresponding zodiac animal is the horse.
- 。Zǐ wǔ xiàn shì dìlǐxué de zhòngyào gàiniàn.The meridian is an important concept in geography.
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