# 正月
## Chinese
### Etymology

According to Guangyun and Zhu Xi (朱熹), the character 正 here was originally pronounced zhèng (like 政); according to Zhang Shoujie (張守節); its special pronunciation zhēng (like 征) originated from the naming taboo on Qin Shi Huang's real name 嬴政 (Yíng Zhèng).
Sagart (2023) instead proposes that actually 正 here wrote 隻 (OC *tek, “one”), in context where the latter's coda *-k had been nasalized by the onset of 月 (OC *[ŋ]ʷat). He reconstructs underlying *tek-ŋʷat, whence *teŋ-ŋʷat, whose appropriate readable form was 正月.

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Standard)
       (Pinyin): zhēngyuè
       (Zhuyin): ㄓㄥ ㄩㄝˋ
    (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): zen$^1$ yue$^2$
    (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): җынйүә (žɨnyüə, I-II)
* Cantonese (Jyutping): zing$^1$ jyut$^6$
* Gan (Wiktionary): zang$^1$ nyyot
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): châng-ngie̍t / châng-ngia̍t
    (Hailu, HRS): zhang$^ˋ$ ngied$^ˋ$
    (Meixian, Guangdong): zang$^1$ ngiad$^6$
* Eastern Min (BUC): ciăng-nguŏk
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): chiaⁿ--goe̍h / chiaⁿ-ge̍rh / chiaⁿ--ge̍h / chiaⁿ-ge̍h / chiaⁿ-goe̍h
    (Teochew, Peng'im): zian$^1$ ghuêh$^8$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^1$tsen-yuq; $^1$tsen-yoq
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: zhēngyuè
*** Zhuyin: ㄓㄥ ㄩㄝˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: jhengyuè
*** Wade–Giles: chêng$^1$-yüeh$^4$
*** Yale: jēng-ywè
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jengyueh
*** Palladius: чжэнъюэ (čžɛnʺjue)
*** Sinological IPA : /ʈ͡ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ ɥɛ⁵¹/
** (Chengdu)
*** Sichuanese Pinyin: zen$^1$ yue$^2$
*** Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: zenje
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡sən⁵⁵ ye²¹/
** (Dungan)
*** Cyrillic and Wiktionary: җынйүә (žɨnyüə, I-II)
*** Sinological IPA : /ʈ͡ʂəŋ²⁴ yə⁵¹/
    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: zing$^1$ jyut$^6$
*** Yale: jīng yuht
*** Cantonese Pinyin: dzing$^1$ jyt$^9$
*** Guangdong Romanization: jing$^1$ yud$^6$
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡sɪŋ⁵⁵ jyːt̚²/
* Gan
** (Nanchang)
*** Wiktionary: zang$^1$ nyyot
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡saŋ⁴² n̠ʲyɵt̚²/
* Hakka
** (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: châng-ngie̍t
*** Hakka Romanization System: zang$^ˊ$ ngied
*** Hagfa Pinyim: zang$^1$ ngiad$^6$
*** Sinological IPA: /t͡saŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ ŋi̯et̚⁵/
** (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: châng-ngia̍t
*** Hakka Romanization System: zang$^ˊ$ ngiad
*** Hagfa Pinyim: zang$^1$ ngiad$^6$
*** Sinological IPA: /t͡saŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ ŋi̯at̚⁵/
** (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
*** Hakka Romanization System: zhang$^ˋ$ ngied$^ˋ$
*** Sinological IPA: /t͡ʃaŋ⁵³ ŋiet²/
** (Meixian)
*** Guangdong: zang$^1$ ngiad$^6$
*** Sinological IPA: /t͡saŋ⁴⁴ ŋiat̚⁵/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: ciăng-nguŏk
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡siaŋ⁵⁵ ŋuoʔ⁵/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Kaohsiung)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chiaⁿ--goe̍h
*** Tâi-lô: tsiann--gue̍h
** (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Singapore)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chiaⁿ-ge̍rh
*** Tâi-lô: tsiann-ge̍rh
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡siã³³ ɡəʔ²⁴/
*** IPA (Singapore): /t͡siã⁴⁴⁻²² ɡəʔ⁴³/
** (Hokkien: Taipei)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chiaⁿ--ge̍h
*** Tâi-lô: tsiann--ge̍h
** (Hokkien: Xiamen, Philippines, Singapore)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chiaⁿ-ge̍h
*** Tâi-lô: tsiann-ge̍h
*** Phofsit Daibuun: cvia'geh
*** IPA (Philippines): /t͡siã³³ ɡeʔ²⁴/
*** IPA (Singapore): /t͡siã⁴⁴⁻²² ɡeʔ⁴³/
*** IPA (Xiamen): /t͡siã⁴⁴⁻²² ɡeʔ⁴/
** (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, Singapore)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chiaⁿ-goe̍h
*** Tâi-lô: tsiann-gue̍h
*** Phofsit Daibuun: cvia'goeh
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡siã⁴⁴⁻²² ɡueʔ¹²¹/
*** IPA (Singapore): /t͡siã⁴⁴⁻²² ɡueʔ⁴³/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: zian$^1$ ghuêh$^8$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tsiaⁿ gue̍h
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡sĩã³³⁻²³ ɡueʔ⁴/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^1$tsen-yuq; $^1$tsen-yoq
*** MiniDict: tsen$^平$ yuih; tsen$^平$ yoh
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^1$tsen-hhyq; $^1$tsen-hhioq
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /t͡sən⁵⁵ ɦyɪʔ²¹/, /t͡sən⁵⁵ ɦioʔ²¹/
* Middle Chinese: tsyeng ngjwot
Rime :
| Character | 正 | 月 |
| Reading # | 1/2 | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 章 (23) | 疑 (31) |
| Final (韻) | 清 (121) | 月 (68) |
| Tone (調) | Level (Ø) | Checked (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Open | Closed |
| Division (等) | III | III |
| Fanqie | 諸盈切 | 魚厥切 |
| Baxter | tsyeng | ngjwot |
| Reconstructions |||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /t͡ɕiᴇŋ/ | /ŋʉɐt̚/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /t͡ɕiɛŋ/ | /ŋʷiɐt̚/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /t͡ɕiæŋ/ | /ŋiuɐt̚/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /ciajŋ/ | /ŋuat̚/ |
| Li Rong | /t͡ɕiɛŋ/ | /ŋiuɐt̚/ |
| Wang Li | /t͡ɕĭɛŋ/ | /ŋĭwɐt̚/ |
| Bernard Karlgren | /t͡ɕi̯ɛŋ/ | /ŋi̯wɐt̚/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | zhēng | yuè |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | zing$^1$ | jyut$^6$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*C.teŋ [ŋ]ʷat/
    (Zhengzhang): /*tjeŋ ŋod/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 正 | 月 |
| Reading # | 1/2 | 1/1 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | zhēng | yuè |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ tsyeng › | ‹ ngjwot › |
| Old Chinese | /*C.teŋ/ | /*[ŋ]ʷat/ |
| English | 1st (month) | moon, month |
| Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary. |||
Zhengzhang system (2003) :
| Character | 正 | 月 |
| Reading # | 1/2 | 1/1 |
| No. | 17171 | 16319 |
| Phonetic component | 正 | 月 |
| Rime group | 耕 | 月 |
| Rime subdivision | 0 | 3 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 征 | 月 |
| Old Chinese | /*tjeŋ/ | /*ŋod/ |
| Notes | 甲文從止丁聲， 徵初文 | |

### Noun

正月
* the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar
    From: circa 6th century BCE, Inscription on 欒書缶 Luan Shu's fou, transcribed and translated by Caboara (2010:12).
    Zhēngyuè jìchūn yuánrì yǐchǒu: yú xù sūn Shū yě zé qí jíjīn yǐ zuò zhù fǒu. [Pinyin]
    In the third month of spring, first month (of the year), first day of Yichou, I the pious grandson, Shu, selected those solid metals to cast a fou-barrel.
    From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11th – 7th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
    Zhēngyuè fán shuāng, wǒ xīn yōushāng. [Pinyin]
    In the first month the hoar-frost abounds, and my heart is wounded with sorrow.
    From: 8th century CE, 杜甫 (Du Fu)《南楚》"In the South, Chu"; translated by Owen (2017)
    Zhēngyuè fēng xiāng jiàn, fēishí niǎo gòng wén. [Pinyin]
    In the first month bees appear; unseasonable, different birds heard at the same time.
* (Xiamen Hokkien) first three days of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar
* (dated) January

#### Synonyms

* (first month): 陬月 (Zōuyuè), 寅月 (Yínyuè), 端月 (duānyuè), 元月 (Yuányuè), 初月, 嘉月, 開歲／开岁, 新正 (xīnzhēng), 隅月, 孟月 (mèngyuè), 始春, 元春
* (first three days): (Hokkien) 正月正頭／正月正头, 正月正時／正月正时

#### Derived terms

* 大正月
* 正月初一 (zhēngyuè chūyī)
* 正月十五 (zhēngyuè shíwǔ)
* 正月正時／正月正时
* 正月正頭／正月正头
* 正月酒
* 正月頭／正月头

#### See also

* Month of the Year: 正月 (zhēngyuè)
** Previous: 臘月／腊月 (Làyuè)
** Next: 杏月 (Xìngyuè)

### References

* ↑ Caboara, Marco (2010) The particle ye 也 and related constructions in the Guodian manuscripts of IV century BCE (PhD)‎, University of Washington

## Japanese

Kanji in this term :
| 正 | 月 |
| しょう Grade: 1 | がつ Grade: 1 |
| goon | kan'yōon |

### Alternative forms

* お正月(しょうがつ) (o-shōgatsu)

### Etymology

From Middle Chinese 正月 (MC tsyeng ngjwot)

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) しょーがつ [shòógátsúꜜ] (Odaka – [4])
* (Tokyo) しょーがつ [shòógátsú] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [ɕo̞ːɡa̠t͡sɨ]

### Noun

正(しょう)月(がつ) • (shōgatsu)
* January
* first month of the lunar year
* New Year

#### Synonyms

* (New Year):
** 元旦(がんたん) (gantan): New Year's Day
** 元日(がんじつ) (ganjitsu): New Year's Day

#### See also

* 初詣(はつもうで) (hatsumōde)
* 初日(はつひ)の出(で) (hatsuhinode)
* 門松(かどまつ) (kadomatsu)
* 御御籤(おみくじ) (omikuji)
* 年賀状(ねんがじょう) (nengajō)

### References

* 1 2 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

## Korean

Hanja in this term :
| 正 | 月 |

### Noun

正月 • (jeong'wol) (hangeul 정월)
* hanja form of 정월 (“the first month of the traditional Korean calendar”)