How do you say "eclipse" in Chinese?

日食

rì shí

Noun Hanzi

In Chinese, "eclipse" is 日食 (rì shí).

Listen to the pronunciation:

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Pronunciation

Sound it out "rì shí", fourth tone, then second tone, so snapping downward fast, like giving a short order; then the next syllable is rising sharply.

Writing and usage

日食 is written using hanzi. It's a noun, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.

Example sentence

我们戴着眼镜看日食。

wǒ men dài zhuó yǎn jìng kàn rì shí 。

We watched the solar eclipse through glasses.

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How to remember 日食

Attach "rì shí" to the scene from "We watched the solar eclipse through glasses"; the pairing is hard to forget.

Related words

Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.

Questions about 日食

How do you pronounce 日食?

Sound it out "rì shí", fourth tone, then second tone, so snapping downward fast, like giving a short order; then the next syllable is rising sharply.

Is 日食 formal or casual?

日食 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.

How is 日食 used in Chinese?

日食 is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: 我们戴着眼镜看日食。 (We watched the solar eclipse through glasses.).

Where can I practice Chinese words for free?

You can play free Chinese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Chinese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Eclipse" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Chinese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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