闰年

閏年
rùnnián
noun #50,645

Measure Word

Meanings

  1. 1 leap year
  2. 2 (lunar calendar) year with a thirteenth intercalary month

Examples

HSK 1
Jīnnián shì rùnnián, èryuè yǒu èrshíjiǔ tiān.
This year is a leap year, so February has 29 days.
HSK 2
Měi sì nián yǒu yí ge rùnnián.
There is a leap year every four years.
HSK 7-9
Nónglì rùnnián huì duō chū yí ge rùnyuè.
Lunar leap years have an extra intercalary month.

Tips

usage
Covers both the solar (Gregorian) leap year - 366 days with a February 29 - and the lunar leap year, which inserts an intercalary month (闰月) roughly every three years to keep the lunar calendar aligned with the seasons.
memory
The character 闰 is 王 (king) inside 门 (gate) - it literally shows the king inside the gate on the 'extra' day. In imperial custom, on the leap day the emperor didn't hold audience and stayed inside.

Stroke Order

闰 rùn
年 nián