年刊 (nián kān) — annual publication, yearbook

Definition

noun

annual publicationyearbook

Measure word · 本

。
Zhè běn nián kān jì lù le xué xiào yì nián de huó dòng.
This yearbook records the school's activities for the year.
年刊。
Wǒ men xué xiào de nián kān měi nián dōu huì fā gěi bì yè shēng.
Our school's yearbook is given to graduates every year.
年刊，。
Zhè jiā chū bǎn shè měi nián chū yī qī nián kān, nèi róng hěn fēng fù.
This publishing house puts out an annual publication each year with rich content.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

刊kānpublication

年 gives the year, 刊 gives publication, naming a yearly issued book.

Characters in this word

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú

禾禾héwheat; grain

Sound part声符shēngfú

人

人rén年nián

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

年 pairs 禾 (grain) with 人, which gives the sound. Its original meaning was harvest, and it later came to mean a year.

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú

刀刀dāoknife

Sound part声符shēngfú

干

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

刊 uses 干 to show its sound and 刀, a knife, to show its meaning.