午 (wǔ) - noon & midday

午Tone 3

wǔ ｜ 4 strokes ｜ radical: 十

万响

午 · wǔ

noon;

midday;

the seventh of the twelve earthly branches;

horse in the Chinese zodiac;

11 AM to 1 PM.

noonmiddaythe seventh of the twelve earthly branches

Usage highlights

noonlunchmorningafternoonnoon breaknoon time

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • 子— midnight (opposite time period)
  • 夜— night

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • It's noon now (中午).
  • We have lunch at noon (午饭).
  • The meeting is at 11:30 AM (上午 11:30).
  • He was born in the Year of the Horse (午年).

Collocations

  • noon(中午)
  • lunch(午饭)
  • morning(上午)
  • afternoon(下午)
  • noon break(午休)
  • noon time(午时)

Idioms

  • A sudden change at noon and evening(午更三变)
  • The morning bell and evening drum, the morning and the noon(朝钟暮鼓，朝三暮午)
  • Hard work from morning till night(朝乾夕惕，日昃忘午)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Represents the horse, the seventh animal in the Chinese zodiac cycle.
  • In traditional Chinese timekeeping, 午时 (wǔshí) refers to the two-hour period from 11 AM to 1 PM.
  • The earthly branch 午 is associated with the direction south and the fire element in Chinese cosmology.

FAQ