腊月 làyuè twelfth lunar month
How to remember 腊月: 腊 December + 月 moon = twelfth lunar month.
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How it is used
- The twelfth month of the lunar calendar, the run-up to New Year - 腊月二十三 (làyuè èrshísān) the 23rd of the last lunar month (Little New Year).
- Tied to festival preparation and foods like 腊八粥 (làbāzhōu) and 腊肉 (cured meat); a distinctly traditional-calendar term.
- Contrast 十二月 (shí'èr yuè), the solar December - 腊月 is specifically lunar.