清明 (Qīng míng) — Qingming Festival / Tomb-Sweeping Day (a traditional Chinese festival for honoring ancestors); (adjective) clear and bright (of weather, especially in spring)

Definition

Qīngmíng is the Tomb-Sweeping Festival in early April, when people honor ancestors by visiting and tidying graves. As an adjective it means 'clear and bright,' the spring weather the festival is named for.

noun
Qingming Festival / Tomb-Sweeping Day (a traditional Chinese festival for honoring ancestors)
adjective
clear and bright (of weather, especially in spring)

Examples

  • 清明，。
    Qīng míng Jié de shí hou, hěn duō rén qù sǎo mù.
    During the Qingming Festival, many people go to sweep tombs.
  • 清明。
    Qīng míng Shí jié yǔ fēn fēn.
    During the Qingming season, rain falls in drizzles.
  • 清明清明。
    Jīn nián Qīng míng de tiān qì fēi cháng Qīng míng.
    This year the weather during Qingming is very clear and bright.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

清qīngclear
明míngbright

清 and 明 both describe clear, bright spring weather, giving the festival name.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng清qīng
Same sound today

清 has 氵 (water) on the left and 青 on the right to show its sound.

Open 清 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

明 combines 日 (sun) and 月 (moon), showing the sun just rising while the moon has not yet set, or two bright objects in the sky, to express brightness.

Open 明 →

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