Zhongyuan
/ʈʂʊ́ŋ ɥɛ̌n/noun
A traditional Chinese festival observed on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, associated with offerings to ancestors and wandering spirits.
Did you know?In Daoist tradition, Zhongyuan is linked to the Earth Official, who is said to pardon sins, while Buddhist observances connect the date with feeding suffering ghosts.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese
Old Chinese
中元
“Middle Origin; a designation associated with the middle of the ritual year and the seventh lunar month”
2nd–3rd Century CE
Chinese
中元
“A Daoist calendrical observance associated with the Earth Official and the remission of offenses”
6th Century CE
Chinese
中元節
“Zhongyuan Festival; a formal name for the seventh-month religious observance”
8th Century CE
Chinese
中元
“A festival period involving offerings to ancestors and the dead, developing alongside Buddhist ghost-related rites”
20th Century
Mandarin
Zhōngyuán
“Modern Mandarin pronunciation of 中元, commonly rendered in English as Zhongyuan”
Modern English
English
Zhongyuan
“A Chinese festival or observance often discussed in English as the Ghost Festival or Hungry Ghost Festival”