正月 zhēngyuè first month of the lunar year
How to remember 正月: 正 upright + 月 moon = first month of the lunar year.
Characters
How it is used
- 'First month of the lunar year' - 正月初一 (zhēngyuè chūyī) the first day of the lunar new year.
- Note 正 read zhēng here, not zhèng - a classic reading trap.
- 正月十五 is the Lantern Festival; a key calendar/festival term.