lunar year with 29-day 12th month; Little New Year festival; off-year for crops
Meanings
3 senses · 8 examplesnoun
lunar year in which the twelfth month has 29 days
Contrasts with 大年 (lunar year with 30-day 12th month).
This year is a short month year; the twelfth month has only twenty-nine days.
New Year's Eve in a 29-day year comes one day earlier than in a 30-day year.
noun
Little New Year; Kitchen God Festival (23rd or 24th of 12th lunar month)
Traditionally the day to worship the Kitchen God and begin preparations for the Lunar New Year. Date varies by region (23rd in northern China, 24th in southern China).
The 23rd of the twelfth month is Little New Year, when we worship the Kitchen God.
During the Little New Year period, people begin cleaning house and preparing New Year goods.
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In some southern regions, the 24th of the twelfth month is called Little New Year.
noun
off-year; year of slow growth or rest (for fruit trees, bamboo, etc.)
technicalRefers to the biological cycle where plants rest or produce less after a bumper year. Contrasts with 大年 (bumper year/on-year).
This is an off-year for this apple tree, so it is bearing very little fruit.
Fruit trees exhibit alternate bearing; yield drops significantly in off-years.
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This bamboo grove is having a slow year; few bamboo shoots are sprouting.