Chinese word

中午

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhōng wǔ

Meaning

  • nounnoon

Example

我今天中午有空。wǒ jīn tiān zhōng wǔ yǒu kòng

I am free at noon today.

Illustration for 中午 (noon)

More examples

我常常在中午和同事一起吃饭。wǒ cháng cháng zài zhōng wǔ hé tóng shì yì qǐ chī fàn

I often eat lunch with my coworkers at noon.

Core concept

A daytime window with the sun near its highest point, commonly linked with lunch and a brief rest.

Common phrases

  • 中午吃饭zhōng wǔ chī fàn

    have lunch

  • 中午休息zhōng wǔ xiū xī

    take a midday break

  • 中午十二点zhōng wǔ shí èr diǎn

    twelve noon

Similar words

午饭wǔ fàn: A meal eaten at midday.
下午xià wǔ: The time from just after noon to the early evening.
正午zhèng wǔ: The exact middle of the day at twelve o'clock.

Definition in Chinese

指一天中介于上午与下午之间、以十二时左右为中心的时间段，常用来表示吃午饭或短暂休息的时间。zhǐ yì tiān zhōng jiè yú shàng wǔ yǔ xià wǔ zhī jiān yǐ shí èr shí zuǒ yòu wèi zhōng xīn de shí jiān duàn cháng yòng lái biǎo shì chī wǔ fàn huò duǎn zàn xiū xī de shí jiān

Word origin

中 (zhōng, "middle") + 午 (wǔ, "midday period") places this time at the center of the day.

Usage tips

  • When a Chinese speaker names 中午 (zhōngwǔ, "noon") as an available time, the word can include the surrounding lunch break, not just the clock reading 12:00.

Other meanings

  • around noonadverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 中午时分zhōng wǔ shí fēnnoon timenoun

Word lists with this word