gau6 lik6舊曆旧历

Jyutpinggau6 lik6

Yalegauh likh

Definition

The traditional East Asian lunisolar calendar, also known as the Chinese or lunar calendar.

colloquialtimefestival

How it's used

People in Hong Kong use 舊曆 and 農曆 interchangeably to refer to the traditional calendar. While 陰曆 is technically accurate, it is less common in casual speech than the other two terms. It is almost always used when discussing birthdays or traditional festivals like the Mid Autumn Festival.

Examples

nei5 zi1 m4 zi1 gam1 nin4 gau6 lik6 saang1 jat6 hai6 gei2 hou6 aa4

你知唔知今年舊曆生日係幾號呀？

Do you know what date your lunar birthday is this year?

lou5 jan4 gaa1 tung1 soeng4 dou1 zung1 ji3 gwo3 gau6 lik6 saang1 jat6 do1 di1

老人家通常都鍾意過舊曆生日多啲。

Older people usually prefer celebrating their lunar birthday more.

Common phrases

gau6 lik6 saang1 jat6

舊曆生日

lunar birthday

gau6 lik6 san1 nin4

舊曆新年

Lunar New Year

Common mistake

Do not confuse this with the Gregorian calendar, which is referred to as 新曆 or 西曆. Using 舊曆 to refer to any old calendar system outside of the traditional East Asian one will cause confusion.