初三 (chūsān): third day of a lunar month (esp…

Meanings

1 third day of a lunar month (especially the 3rd day of Lunar New Year)
2 third year of junior middle school (Grade 9)

Characters

初

Examples

传统上大年初三不出门拜年。

Chuántǒng shàng dà nián chūsān bù chūmén bàinián.

Traditionally, people don't pay New Year visits on the third day of the Lunar New Year.

初三的学生面临中考压力。

Chūsān de xuésheng miànlín zhōngkǎo yālì.

Grade 9 students face the pressure of the high school entrance exam.

Tips

culture

Also known as 小年朝 or 赤狗日 — an old folk belief held that the 赤狗 'red dog' would stir up quarrels on this day, so people stayed in. Modern significance is mainly the middle-school grade: 初三 students prepare for the 中考 (zhōngkǎo) entrance exam to senior high.