腊 (là): the 12th lunar month

Meanings

1 the 12th lunar month
2 preserved (as in cured meats)
3 winter sacrifice (ancient ritual)

Characters

腊

là

12th lunar month; cured/preserved; winter sacrifice

Examples

腊月是农历一年中的最后一个月。

Làyuè shì nónglì yī nián zhōng de zuìhòu yī gè yuè.

The 12th lunar month is the last month of the lunar year.

她买了很多腊肉准备过年。

Tā mǎi le hěn duō làròu zhǔnbèi guònián.

She bought a lot of cured pork to prepare for the New Year.

Tips

culture

腊 refers to the 12th lunar month (腊月 làyuè), traditionally a time for preserving meats (腊肉 làròu, 腊肠 làcháng) for winter storage and Chinese New Year celebrations. The word originally referred to an ancient midwinter animal sacrifice.