Lunar Months
The Chinese zodiac (see also Twelve Animals section) is only used in naming years—it is not used in the actual calculation of the calendar. In fact, the Chinese have a very different constellation system.
In modern China, the lunar months are typically simply numbered, following the standard practice with the solar months. However, the old names for the first (正月, Zhēngyuè or 元月, Yuányuè, both meaning "first month") and last ( 臘月, 腊月, Làyuè) months are still used as well.
Among the many variant series for naming months is the following, which mostly uses flower names.
| Chinese Lunar Months | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese name |
Simplified Chinese name |
Pinyin | Translation | Other names | |
| 芍月 | — | sháoyuè | peony month | 端月、元月、初月、嘉月、开岁、新正、隅月、孟月、始春、元春、陬月 | |
| 杏月 | — | xìngyuè | apricot month | 丽月、 花月、 柳月、 仲春、 酣春、 艳春、 芳春、 如月、 早春 | |
| 桃月 | — | táoyuè | peach month | 桃月、 蚕月、 莺月、 暮月、 鹂月、 季春、 炳月、 三春、 阳春、 暮春、 绸月 | |
| 梅月 | — | méiyuè | plum month | 梅月、 麦月、 清和、 初夏、 桐夏、 余月、 桃月、 孟夏、 纯月 | |
| 榴月 | — | liúyuè | pomegranate month | 榴月、 蒲月、 仲夏、 飘香、 皋月、 郁月 | |
| 荷月 | — | héyuè | lotus month | 荷月、 玉绳、 且月、 伏月、 季夏、 焦月、 署月、 精阳、 溽暑、季暑 | |
| 蘭月 | 兰月 | lányuè | orchid month | 瓜月、 巧月、 砧月、 兰秋、 新秋、 银磺、 飞星、 相月、 霜月、 孟秋、 桐月 | |
| 桂月 | — | guìyuè | osmanthus month | 莹月、 虹月、 吟秋、 鸦月、 壮月、 桂月、 仲秋、 中秋、 壮月 | |
| 菊月 | — | júyuè | chrysanthemum month | 菊月、 苔月、 琼月、 霜序、 三秋、 霜秋、 季秋、 暮商、 朽月、 玄月 | |
| 良月 | — | liángyuè | good month | 露月、 良月、 孟冬、 霜华、 阳月 | |
| 冬月 | — | dōngyuè | winter month | 仲冬、 寒艳、 畅月、 蒹月、 葭月、 龙潜月、 辜月、 葭月 | |
| 臘月 | 腊月 | làyuè | preserved meat month | 腊月、 冰月、 严月、 除月、 残霜天、 星回、 嘉平、 季冬、 嘉平、 穷节 | |
Read more about this topic: Chinese Calendar
Famous quotes containing the words lunar and/or months:
“A bird half wakened in the lunar noon
Sang halfway through its little inborn tune.”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)
“When I think of him, and his six sons, and his son-in-law, not to enumerate the others, enlisted for this fight, proceeding coolly, reverently, humanely to work, for months if not years, sleeping and waking upon it, summering and wintering the thought, without expecting any reward but a good conscience, while almost all America stood ranked on the other side,—I say again that it affects me as a sublime spectacle.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)