How to Say "December" in Chinese

十二月

shí'èryuè

December in Chinese is 十二月 (shí'èryuè).

十二月 refers to the twelfth month of the Gregorian calendar.

Meaning: twelfth month of the Gregorian calendar (name)

What does it mean word for word?

The word is composed of 十二 (twelve) and 月 (month).

In Chinese, months are formed by stating the number of the month followed by the word for month (月).

shí'èryuè

Ancient Chinese calendars sometimes added an 'intercalary month' to keep the seasons aligned, meaning some years had a thirteenth month after 十二月.
The character 月 can change its meaning and pronunciation to 'meat' (肉) when it appears as a radical on the left side of other characters.
In Chinese, the word for 'month' and the word for 'moon' are the exact same word: 月.

十二月有三十一天。
December has thirty-one days.
This sentence is useful for stating the number of days in 十二月.
Tatoeba #1440499 by egg0073, translation #664032 by bluepie88
她在一个寒冷的十二月晚上死了。
She died on a cold night in December.
This sentence uses 十二月 to describe a specific time of death.
Tatoeba #9012180 by jacintoo, translation #310069 by CK
日本人在一九四一年十二月七日襲擊珍珠港。
The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
This sentence uses 十二月 to state a specific historical date.
Tatoeba #5989634 by egg0073, translation #281728 by CK
今天是十二月十五日。
Today is the fifteenth of December.
我计划在十二月份去旅行。
I plan to travel in December.
我们一起庆祝十二月底的圣诞节。
Let's celebrate Christmas at the end of December together.
6 more sentences on Tatoeba

Two friends are discussing their upcoming travel plans in a cafe.

俊杰 Junjie

你打算什么时候去旅游？
Nǐ dǎsuàn shénme shíhou qù lǚyóu?
When do you plan to go traveling?
晓雯 Xiaowen

我准备十二月去北京。
Wǒ zhǔnbèi shí'èr yuè qù Běijīng.
I plan to go to Beijing in December.
俊杰 Junjie

十二月北京会很冷吧？
Shí'èr yuè Běijīng huì hěn lěng ba?
It will be very cold in Beijing in December, right?
晓雯 Xiaowen

是的，我一定要带厚外套。
Shì de, wǒ yīdìng yào dài hòu wàitào.
Yes, I must bring a thick coat.

Sources

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