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 depicted a wooden pestle for pounding grain, functioning as a pictograph before its meaning shifted entirely through phonetic borrowing. It was adopted to represent the seventh of the twelve Earthly Branches in the Chinese calendrical system, marking the period from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the middle of the day. This calendrical association permanently linked 午 to noon or midday, prompting the creation of 杵, which combines the wood radical 木 with 午 to specifically denote the original pestle meaning.
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。