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正月. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
正月, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
正月 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
正月 you have here. The definition of the word
正月 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
正月, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Chinese
Etymology
According to Guangyun () and Zhu Xi (朱熹) (), the character 正 here was originally pronounced zhèng (like 政); according to Zhang Shoujie (張守節); its special pronunciation zhēng (like 征) originated from the naming taboo on Qin Shi Huang's real name 嬴政 (Yíng Zhèng) ().
Sagart (2023) instead proposes that actually 正 here wrote 隻 (OC *tek, “one”), in context where the latter's coda *-k had been nasalized by the onset of 月 (OC *ʷat). He reconstructs underlying *tek-ŋʷat, whence *teŋ-ŋʷat, whose appropriate readable form was 正月.
Pronunciation
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
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Character
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正
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月
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Reading #
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1/2
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1/1
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Modern Beijing (Pinyin)
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zhēng
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yuè
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Middle Chinese
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‹ tsyeng ›
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‹ ngjwot ›
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Old Chinese
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/*C.teŋ/
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/*ʷat/
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English
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1st (month)
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moon, month
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Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:
* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. * as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;
* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
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Zhengzhang system (2003)
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Character
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正
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月
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Reading #
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1/2
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1/1
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No.
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17171
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16319
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Phonetic component
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正
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月
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Rime group
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耕
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月
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Rime subdivision
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0
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3
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Corresponding MC rime
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征
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月
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Old Chinese
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/*tjeŋ/
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/*ŋod/
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Notes
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甲文從止丁聲, 徵初文
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|
Noun
正月
- the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar
正月季春元日乙丑:余畜孫書也擇其吉金以作鑄缶。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
正月季春元日乙丑:余畜孙书也择其吉金以作铸缶。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]- From: circa 6th century BCE, Inscription on 欒書缶 Luan Shu's fou, transcribed and translated by Caboara (2010:12).[1]
- Zhēngyuè jìchūn yuánrì yǐchǒu: yú xù sūn Shū yě zé qí jíjīn yǐ zuò zhù fǒu.
- In the third month of spring, first month (of the year), first day of Yichou, I the pious grandson, Shu, selected those solid metals to cast a fou-barrel.
正月繁霜、我心憂傷。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
正月繁霜、我心忧伤。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]- From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11th – 7th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Zhēngyuè fán shuāng, wǒ xīn yōushāng.
- In the first month the hoar-frost abounds, and my heart is wounded with sorrow.
正月蜂相見,非時鳥共聞。 [MSC, trad.]
正月蜂相见,非时鸟共闻。 [MSC, simp.]- From: 8th century CE, 杜甫 (Du Fu)《南楚》"In the South, Chu"; translated by Owen (2017)
- Zhēngyuè fēng xiāng jiàn, fēishí niǎo gòng wén.
- In the first month bees appear; unseasonable, different birds heard at the same time.
- (Xiamen Hokkien) first three days of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar
- (dated) January
Synonyms
- (first month): 陬月 (Zōuyuè), 寅月 (Yínyuè), 端月 (duānyuè), 元月 (Yuányuè), 初月, 嘉月, 開歲/开岁, 新正 (xīnzhēng), 隅月, 孟月 (mèngyuè), 始春, 元春
- (first three days): (Hokkien) 正月正頭/正月正头, 正月正時/正月正时
Derived terms
See also
- Month of the Year: 正月 (zhēngyuè)
- Previous: 臘月/腊月 (Làyuè)
- Next: 杏月 (Xìngyuè)
References
- ^ Caboara, Marco (2010) The particle ye 也 and related constructions in the Guodian manuscripts of IV century BCE (PhD), University of Washington
Japanese
Etymology
From Middle Chinese 正月 (MC tsyeng ngjwot)
Pronunciation
Noun
正月 • (shōgatsu)
- January
- first month of the lunar year
- New Year
Synonyms
See also
References
Korean
Noun
正月 • (jeong'wol) (hangeul 정월)
- hanja form? of 정월 (“the first month of the traditional Korean calendar”)