月份
yuefen
In Chinese, the phrase for months is 月份 (yuefen).
Use 月份 when you are discussing the months as a general concept or as specific periods of the year, rather than just naming a single month.
What does it mean word for word?
The word consists of 月 (yuè), meaning 'month' or 'moon' and 分 (fèn), meaning 'part' or 'portion'.
Which one should you use?
While the character 月 (yuè) can mean 'month' when used in isolation, 月份 is the more formal or specific noun used when referring to the months as calendar units or periods.
How does it change in a sentence?
Unlike English, the word 月份 does not change its form to indicate plurality.
How do you pronounce it?
yuefen
Did you know?
- In some historical contexts, the Chinese calendar added an 'intercalary month' or 'leap month' to keep the lunar year in sync with the solar year. This meant some years actually had thirteen 月份.
- Chinese uses a separate lunar calendar for traditional festivals. This means a festival in a specific 月份 on the lunar calendar will fall on a different date every year in the Gregorian system.
- In traditional Chinese culture, the eighth 月份 is particularly significant because of the Mid-Autumn Festival. This month is associated with the fullest and brightest moon of the year.
Examples in context
- 我覺得這張照片是五月份拍的。I think this photo was taken five months ago.This sentence is useful for seeing how to refer to a specific month like May using 月份.Tatoeba #6286231 by xjjAstrus, translation #7265319 by anattado
- 所有月份中我最喜歡五月。I like May the best of all the months.This sentence shows how to express a preference for one month out of all the 月份.Tatoeba #917803 by Martha, translation #254023 by CN
- 有些月份有三十天，有些月份有三十一天。Some months have thirty days, others thirty one.This sentence demonstrates how to discuss the length of different 月份.Tatoeba #716777 by nickyeow, translation #706803 by darinmex
- 这个展览将于十月开幕。 (Zhè ge zhǎn lǎn jiāng yú shí yuè kāi mù.)This exhibition will open in October.
- 她的生日是在三月底。 (Tā de shēng rì shì zài sān yuè dǐ.)Her birthday is at the end of March.
- 我们下个月要去北京旅行。 (Wǒ men xià gè yuè yào qù Běi jīng lǚ xíng.)We will travel to Beijing next month.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
