Chinese word

元旦

Pronunciation

Pinyinyuán dàn

Meaning

  • nounNew Year's Day

Example

元旦早上，我和家人一起吃饺子。yuán dàn zǎo shàng wǒ hé jiā rén yì qǐ chī jiǎo zi

On the morning of New Year's Day, I eat dumplings with my family.

Illustration for 元旦 (New Year's Day)

More examples

我们打算在元旦和家人聚会。wǒ men dǎ suàn zài yuán dàn hé jiā rén jù huì

We plan to get together with our family on New Year's Day.

Core concept

The calendar's first day, when a new year begins.

Common phrases

  • 过元旦guò yuán dàn

    celebrate New Year's Day

  • 在元旦期间zài yuán dàn qī jiān

    during the New Year's holiday

  • 元旦当天yuán dàn dàng tiān

    on New Year's Day itself

Similar words

春节chūn jié: The traditional Chinese New Year festival period based on the lunar calendar.
新年xīn nián: The beginning of a new year or the period around its start.
除夕chú xī: The last night of the lunar year, traditionally spent with family before the new year.
元日yuán rì: A formal term for January 1.

Definition in Chinese

公历新年的第一天，即每年1月1日。gōng lì xīn nián de dì yì tiān jí měi nián 1 yuè 1 rì

Word origin

元 (yuán, "beginning") + 旦 (dàn, "daybreak") gives the image of the year's first sunrise and names January 1.

Usage tips

  • On Chinese calendars and school timetables, this word works as a compact date label, helping readers spot the holiday when it appears among ordinary schedule information.

Other meanings

  • New Yearnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 元旦节yuán dàn jiéNew Year's Day holidaynoun
  • 元旦假期yuán dàn jià qīNew Year's holidaynoun
  • 元旦活动yuán dàn huó dòngNew Year's Day activitiesnoun

Word lists with this word