腊 (là) - cured meat & preserved meat

腊Tone 4

là ｜ 12 strokes ｜ radical:

俊梁

腊 · là

cured meat;

preserved meat;

the twelfth lunar month;

variant of 臘 (là) meaning preserved meat and 臈 (là) meaning the twelfth month.

cured meatpreserved meatthe twelfth lunar month

Usage highlights

cured meatChinese sausagetwelfth lunar monthpreserved fishcured duckwinter sacrifice

Synonyms

  • 臘— traditional form for twelfth month and cured meats
  • 腌— to pickle or preserve food
  • 熏— to smoke (as in smoked meats)

Antonyms

  • 鲜— fresh (opposite of preserved/cured)
  • 生— raw (opposite of preserved/processed)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • We eat cured meat during the Spring Festival (春节吃腊肉).
  • The twelfth lunar month is called Layue (腊月).
  • This is Chinese cured sausage (腊肠).
  • They preserve fish for winter (腊鱼).

Collocations

  • cured meat(腊肉)
  • Chinese sausage(腊肠)
  • twelfth lunar month(腊月)
  • preserved fish(腊鱼)
  • cured duck(腊鸭)
  • winter sacrifice(腊祭)

Idioms

  • The year-end sacrifice(腊尽春回)
  • The end of the year and return of spring(腊鼓频催)
  • Residual snow from the twelfth month(残冬腊月)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Traditionally refers to the winter sacrifice (腊祭) held in the twelfth lunar month.
  • The character is associated with food preservation methods used in ancient China for winter storage.
  • The twelfth month (腊月) marks the end of the lunar year and preparation for Spring Festival.

FAQ