月

yuè

HSK 2.0Level 1

HSK 3.0Level 1

Definitions

yuè (noun) moon

yuè (noun) month

Etymology

Pictograph of the moon.

About

月 (yuè) is a pictograph of a crescent moon, its curved shape representing the lunar body. It serves as both a standalone character and a radical. The primary meaning is 'moon', and because lunar phases underpinned ancient timekeeping and agricultural calendars, it also came to mean 'month'. In compound characters, the form merged with the radical for meat (肉), so 月 often appears in characters relating to flesh and bodily organs.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Spring and Autumn (~700 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Warring States (~300 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

月亮挂在天上。

Yuèliang guà zài tiān shàng.

The moon hangs in the sky.

这个月是六月。

Zhège yuè shì liù yuè.

This month is June.

我最喜欢有月亮的夜晚。

Wǒ zuì xǐhuān yǒu yuèliang de yèwǎn.

I like moonlit nights the most.

我们在海边看月亮。

Wǒmen zài hǎibiān kàn yuèliang.

We are watching the moon by the seaside.

月球是地球的卫星。

Yuèqiú shì dìqiú de wèixīng.

The Moon is Earth's satellite.

月光照亮了小路。

Yuèguāng zhàoliàng le xiǎolù.

The moonlight illuminated the path.

每个月的十五号是月圆的日子。

Měi gè yuè de shíwǔ hào shì yuèyuán de rìzi.

The fifteenth of every month is the day of the full moon.

在宁静的月夜里，一切都显得那么美好。

Zài níngjìng de yuè yè lǐ, yīqiè dōu xiǎnde nàme měihǎo.

In the tranquil moonlit night, everything seems so beautiful.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 月

Example Words