TongTong
Sign in

季节 (jì jié) — season

Definition

季节 (jìjié) means 'season' of the year (spring, summer, etc.). 时 is a vague 'time/period' used for hours and eras; 季度 is a business 'quarter' of a year.

noun
season
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 季节。
    Yì nián yǒu sì gè jì jié.
    There are four seasons in a year.
  • 季节。
    Chūn tiān shì wǒ zuì xǐ huan de jì jié.
    Spring is my favorite season.
  • 季节。
    Zhè ge jì jié de tiān qì hěn shū fu.
    The weather this season is very comfortable.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

季jìseason
节jiéperiod

季 and 节 both refer to periods of time, so together they name a season.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

季 is formed by placing 禾 above 子.

Open 季 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 節; 节 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺮Written in full as竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
即
即jí節jié
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 節 pairs ⺮ (bamboo) with 即, which gives the sound; the bamboo part points to a node of bamboo. The simplified 节 is a later abbreviation.

Open 节 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 3HSK 2.0 Level 3Climate & Seasons

Browse more HSK 3 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.