上旬 shàngxún first third of a month
How to remember 上旬: 上 above + 旬 ten-day period = first third of a month.
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How it is used
- The first ten days of a month (days 1-10) - 三月上旬 (sānyuè shàngxún) early March.
- Part of the set 上旬/中旬/下旬 that splits any month into thirds; standard in schedules, news, and forecasts.
- 旬 is a bound unit meaning a ten-day period, not used freely on its own in modern speech.