望月

wàngyuè
noun #34,905

Meanings

  1. 1 full moon
  2. 2 to gaze at the moon

Examples

HSK 7-9
Zhōng qiū zhī yè, quánjiā yìqǐ wàngyuè.
On Mid-Autumn night the whole family gazes at the moon together.
HSK 7-9
Nónglì shíwǔ shì wàngyuè zhī shí.
The 15th of the lunar month is when the moon is full.

Tips

history
In classical Chinese astronomy, 望 specifically names the day the moon is fully opposite the sun - i.e. the full moon, around the 15th of each lunar month. So 望月 carries both senses: the act of moon-gazing (Mid-Autumn poetry) and the full moon itself. It is also a common Japanese surname (Mochizuki) which keeps the same characters.

Stroke Order

望 wàng
月 yuè