Chinese word

阴历

Pronunciation

Pinyinyīn lì

Meaning

  • nounlunar calendar

Example

我们按照阴历过春节。wǒ men àn zhào yīn lì guò chūn jié

We celebrate the Spring Festival according to the lunar calendar.

Illustration for 阴历 (lunar calendar)

More examples

她的阴历生日在下个月。tā de yīn lì shēng rì zài xià gè yuè

Her lunar birthday is next month.

Core concept

A calendar that tracks the moon's cycle and sets dates for traditional Chinese festivals.

Common phrases

  • 阴历生日yīn lì shēng rì

    lunar birthday

  • 阴历新年yīn lì xīn nián

    lunar New Year

  • 按阴历庆祝àn yīn lì qìng zhù

    celebrate according to the lunar calendar

Similar words

农历nóng lì: A traditional calendar based on the moon and the seasons, used for festivals and seasonal reference.
公历gōng lì: The official calendar used in many countries, referring to the modern Gregorian calendar.
阳历yáng lì: A calendar based on the sun's movement, used for counting ordinary years and months.

Definition in Chinese

依据月相周期划分年月的历法，把朔望周期作为一个月，传统节日如春节和中秋的日期通常按此历法确定，现代也常用农历一词。yī jù yuè xiàng zhōu qī huà fēn nián yuè de lì fǎ bǎ shuò wàng zhōu qī zuò wéi yí gè yuè chuán tǒng jié rì rú chūn jié hé zhōng qiū de rì qī tōng cháng àn cǐ lì fǎ què dìng xiàn dài yě cháng yòng nóng lì yì cí

Word origin

阴 (yīn, "yin, associated with the moon") + 历 (lì, "calendar") forms a name for a calendar based on the moon.

Usage tips

  • Festival dates in this system often move on the Gregorian calendar from year to year, so plans may state both dates.

Opposites

Word lists with this word