1.
mid-spring; the middle month of spring
The second month of spring in the traditional East Asian calendar, roughly corresponding to March in the modern calendar. The period when spring is in full swing.
Composed of 仲 (middle) + 春 (spring). Part of the traditional East Asian system of dividing each season into three sub-periods.
The three springs
- 初春: early spring (approximately February)
- 仲春: mid-spring (approximately March)
- 晩春: late spring (approximately April)
Usage
- Primarily literary and seasonal — used in formal correspondence, seasonal greetings, haiku, and classical literature
- In letters, 仲春の候 is a seasonal greeting phrase used in March
- The same pattern exists for all four seasons: 仲夏, 仲秋, 仲冬