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noun HSK 1
sì yuè
April · fourth month

Meaning

四月 literally means 'fourth month' and refers to April in the Gregorian calendar. In Chinese, months are numbered sequentially from one to twelve rather than having unique names like in English.

Usage

Used in dates and when discussing events happening in April. Often appears with specific dates like 四月五日 (April 5th). Can be used alone or with 份 (fèn) as 四月份, though 四月 by itself is more common in everyday speech.

Examples

  1. 01
    我们四月去北京旅游。
    Wǒmen sì yuè qù Běijīng lǚyóu.
    We're going to Beijing to travel in April.
  2. 02
    她的生日是四月十五号。
    Tā de shēngrì shì sì yuè shíwǔ hào.
    Her birthday is April 15th.

Characters

Measure words

  • 个gè一个四月

Common collocations

  • 四月份
    sì yuè fèn
    the month of April
  • 今年四月
    jīn nián sì yuè
    this April
  • 四月初
    sì yuè chū
    early April
  • 四月底
    sì yuè dǐ
    end of April

Origin

Chinese months take their names from the sequential numbering system, where 月 (moon/month) is preceded by the corresponding number. This system has been used for thousands of years in the traditional Chinese calendar.

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