Lunar month names and their variants
Month numbers
The Chinese lunisolar calendar uses twelve month numbers. An intercalated month repeats the preceding number with a leap label. The number and the leap label together identify a month within the year.
In English, lunar month one is clearer than “January.” The months belong to different calendars and their boundaries do not coincide. A bare notation such as “8/15” leaves both the calendar and the order of its components unstated. In a lunar-date transcription, write “lunar month eight, day fifteen,” with the year when a particular date is intended.
Common names
Most month names combine a number with yue (月), “month.” Three familiar alternatives are Zhengyue for month one, Dongyue for month eleven and Layue for month twelve. In Zhengyue, zheng has the first-tone pronunciation, zhēng. Layue preserves the name of the year-end la sacrifice.
| Lunar month | Common name or numbered form | Chinese reference form |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zhengyue | 正月 |
| 2 | Eryue | 二月 |
| 3 | Sanyue | 三月 |
| 4 | Siyue | 四月 |
| 5 | Wuyue | 五月 |
| 6 | Liuyue | 六月 |
| 7 | Qiyue | 七月 |
| 8 | Bayue | 八月 |
| 9 | Jiuyue | 九月 |
| 10 | Shiyue | 十月 |
| 11 | Shiyiyue; also Dongyue | 十一月; 冬月 |
| 12 | Shieryue; also Layue | 十二月; 腊月 |
The same written numbered forms can also name Gregorian months in modern Chinese. Thus 八月 means August in a Gregorian context and lunar month eight in a lunar-date context. The document's calendar determines the meaning.
Writing a leap-month name
Run (闰) is placed before the month name: run liuyue, written 闰六月, means leap month six. Retain that marker in English as “leap month six.” It names a separate month from ordinary month six.
Literary names
Traditional seasonal names divide each season into three positions. Meng (孟) identifies the first, zhong (仲) the middle and ji (季) the last. The Yueling (“Monthly Ordinances”) chapter of the Liji, or Book of Rites, is arranged around this twelve-part seasonal sequence.
| Season | First month of the season | Middle month | Last month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Month 1: Mengchun 孟春 | Month 2: Zhongchun 仲春 | Month 3: Jichun 季春 |
| Summer | Month 4: Mengxia 孟夏 | Month 5: Zhongxia 仲夏 | Month 6: Jixia 季夏 |
| Autumn | Month 7: Mengqiu 孟秋 | Month 8: Zhongqiu 仲秋 | Month 9: Jiqiu 季秋 |
| Winter | Month 10: Mengdong 孟冬 | Month 11: Zhongdong 仲冬 | Month 12: Jidong 季冬 |
These names describe the months' seasonal ordering. They follow lunar-month boundaries, which move relative to the solar terms.
Other literary aliases invoke plants or seasonal imagery. Heyue (荷月, lotus month) is used for month six, Guiyue (桂月, osmanthus month) for month eight and Juyue (菊月, chrysanthemum month) for month nine. Poetic aliases are less standardized than numbered names, and their interpretation depends on the wording and period of a document.
When transcribing an inscription or family record, retain an unfamiliar name in its original characters beside the proposed numbered month. This keeps the original wording distinct from its interpretation. An uncertain literary name should remain qualified rather than being silently replaced with a Gregorian month.