如月 (rú yuè) — second lunar month

Definition

A classical/literary name for the second month of the lunar calendar (农历二月). Use it in historical or poetic contexts; for everyday speech just say 二月.

noun
second lunar month
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 如月，。
    rú yuè Jí nóng lì èr yuè, cǐ shí chūn nuǎn huā kāi.
    如月 is the second month of the lunar calendar, when flowers bloom in the warm spring.
  • 如月，。
    Zài rú yuè, rén men yǒu tà qīng de xí sú.
    During 如月, people have the custom of going on spring outings.
  • 如月，。
    rú yuè Zhī hòu biàn shì sān yuè, tiān qì jiàn nuǎn.
    After 如月 comes the third month, and the weather gradually gets warmer.

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.

如rúsecond month
月yuèmonth

如 is the old name for the second month and 月 means month, so together they mean the second lunar month.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ如rú
Same sound today

如 is built from 口 (mouth) for its meaning and 女 (woman) for its sound.

Open 如 →

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 →

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