giờ ngọ
Definition
- Noun:
- The hour of the Horse: In the traditional Vietnamese system of 12 Earthly Branches (Địa Chi), "giờ Ngọ" specifically refers to the two-hour period corresponding to the Horse (Ngọ), which is from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
- Noon / Midday: In common usage, it is often understood as the central point of this period, i.e., around 12:00 PM or midday.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Chúng tôi hẹn gặp nhau vào giờ Ngọ. (We arranged to meet at the hour of the Horse [around noon].)
- Giờ Ngọ là khoảng thời gian nắng gắt nhất. (The hour of the Horse is the time of the most intense sunlight.)
- Theo lịch can chi, giờ Ngọ bắt đầu từ 11 giờ sáng. (According to the celestial stem and earthly branch calendar, the hour of the Horse starts at 11 AM.)
Advanced Usage
- In traditional astrology and fortune-telling (tử vi), "giờ Ngọ" is a critical factor for constructing a birth chart (lá số) and determining a person's destiny.
- Historically, "giờ Ngọ" was used to time important daily activities, ceremonies, and military operations.
Variants and Related Words
Giờ chính Ngọ (n): The precise midpoint of the Horse hour, i.e., exactly 12:00 PM.
- Tiếng trống điểm đúng giờ chính Ngọ. (The drum sounded exactly at high noon.)
Buổi trưa (n): A more common and general term for "noon" or "midday period," not tied to the Earthly Branch system.
Synonyms
- Noon: The time of day when the sun is at its highest point.
- Midday: The middle part of the day.
- High noon: Exactly 12:00 PM.
Related Idioms
- Giờ Ngọ, tháng Mùi: An idiom referring to the specific hour (Ngọ) and month (Mùi, the Goat) in the traditional calendar, sometimes used to denote a precise or auspicious time.
- Nắng như giờ Ngọ: (Sunny as the hour of the Horse) Describes very intense, scorching sunshine.
- Trời hôm nay nắng như giờ Ngọ. (The weather today is sunny as high noon.)