Chinese word

闰年

Pronunciation

Pinyinrùn nián

Meaning

  • nounleap year

Example

今年是闰年，二月有29天。jīn nián shì rùn nián èr yuè yǒu 29 tiān

This year is a leap year, and February has 29 days.

Illustration for 闰年 (leap year)

More examples

今年不是闰年，二月只有28天。jīn nián bú shì rùn nián èr yuè zhí yǒu 28 tiān

This year is not a leap year, and February has only 28 days.

Core concept

A year with a built-in extra day that keeps the calendar aligned with the seasons.

Common phrases

  • 闰年的二月rùn nián de èr yuè

    February of a leap year

  • 是否为闰年shì fǒu wèi rùn nián

    whether it is a leap year

Similar words

平年píng nián: A regular year with 28 days in February.
闰月rùn yuè: An extra month added to a lunar calendar to keep it aligned with the seasons.
2月29日2 yuè 29 rì: The date February 29, which appears only in certain years to adjust the calendar.

Definition in Chinese

按照公历的规则，为了补偿地球绕太阳公转的余数，通常每四年在二月增加一天的年份。àn zhào gōng lì de guī zé wèi le bǔ cháng dì qiú rào tài yáng gōng zhuàn de yú shù tōng cháng měi sì nián zài èr yuè zēng jiā yì tiān de nián fèn

Word origin

闰 (rùn, "inserted") + 年 (nián, "year") forms a name for a year with an inserted calendar day.

Usage tips

  • The familiar four-year rule has a useful exception: a century year is included only when it is divisible by 400 in the Gregorian calendar.

Opposites

  • 平年píng niáncommon yearnoun

Word lists with this word