‘Zhēng yuè’ (正月) literally means ‘the first month’ and specifically refers to the first month of the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. The character 正 carries the meaning ‘first’ or ‘principal’ here — pronounced zhēng, not the more common zhèng — while 月 means ‘month’. This pronunciation shift is a special reading used only in this compound and a few other historical terms. Zhēng yuè begins with the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) and lasts until the Lantern Festival on the 15th day, making it the most festive and culturally significant month of the year.

It’s deeply tied to seasonal cycles, family rituals, and agricultural traditions. Unlike the Gregorian January, zhēng yuè shifts each year relative to the solar calendar — usually falling between late January and mid-February. People use it when discussing traditional holidays, ancestral rites, lunar-based festivals, or historical timelines. It appears frequently in poetry, almanacs, and folk sayings, and is never used for the Gregorian calendar’s first month.