午
wǔ
7th earthly branch: 11 a.m.-1 p.m., noon, 5th solar month (6th June-6th July), year of the Horse
ancient Chinese compass point: 180° (south)
a picture of 午 → midday, the horse hour, south
午 is an ancient pictograph thought to depict a pestle or a vertical post — its original image has little to do with noon. It was borrowed by sound to represent the seventh earthly branch, which covers the midday hours and the direction south.
午时太阳在正南方，古人用它来定方向。
wǔ shí tài yáng zài zhèng nán fāng， gǔ rén yòng tā lái dìng fāng xiàng。
At the hour of wu the sun is due south, and ancient people used it to determine direction.
今年是午年，也就是马年，很多人觉得很吉利。
jīn nián shì wǔ nián， yě jiù shì mǎ nián， hěn duō rén juéde hěn jí lì。
This year is the year of wu, that is, the year of the Horse, and many people think it is very auspicious.
Words with 午
午夜
wǔ yè
midnight
重午
chóng wǔ
Dragon Boat Festival (5th day of 5th lunar month)
头午
tóu wǔ
(dialect) morning
上午
shàng wǔ
morning
下午
xià wǔ
afternoon
下午好
xià wǔ hǎo
(greeting) good afternoon
下午茶
xià wǔ chá
afternoon tea (light afternoon meal, typically pastries with tea or coffee)
丙午
bǐng wǔ
forty-third year C7 of the 60 year cycle, e.g. 1966 or 2026
中午
zhōng wǔ
noon
亭午
tíng wǔ
(literary) noon
傍午
bàng wǔ
towards noon; just before midday
午休
wǔ xiū
noon break