Definitions
(noun)
noon; midday
Etymology
Pictograph of a pestle used for pounding rice, now written as 杵. The current meaning "noon" is a phonetic loan.
About
The character "午" originally functioned as a pictograph representing a pestle, a tool used for threshing grain, with its early form depicting a cross-section of the implement featuring a central handle. This concrete meaning, however, faded from common use as the character's primary function shifted to serve as an abstract time designation for the noon hour, a semantic transition that likely occurred because the period around midday was associated with a break from labor such as threshing. Its structure stabilized into a simple, symmetrical form consisting of a central vertical stroke crossed by a single horizontal stroke, a configuration that has remained consistent in its traditional and standardized writing. In modern usage, while it principally denotes the seventh earthly branch, corresponding to the hours of 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the horse in the zodiac, it also appears as a component in characters related to opposing or crossing actions, such as in "忤" or "迕", preserving a vestige of its conceptual link to perpendicular intersection.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
现在是中午十二点。
上午我要去开会。
我们下午三点见面吧。
今天的午餐很好吃。
他在午睡，别吵醒他。
正午的太阳非常强烈。
我们在船上享用午宴。
一个暖和的午后，我们出去散步了。