TongTong
Sign in

年底 (nián dǐ) — the end of the year; year-end

Definition

年底 means 'the end of the year' (Dec-ish). 年终 is similar but more formal/business-like (annual bonuses, reports). 期末 is the end of a school term, not a year.

noun
the end of the yearyear-end

Examples

  • 年底。
    Wǒ men nián dǐ yǒu yí gè jù huì.
    We have a party at the end of the year.
  • 年底。
    nián dǐ Hěn duō rén kāi shǐ zhì dìng xīn nián jì huà.
    At the end of the year, many people start making New Year's plans.
  • 年底。
    Qù nián nián dǐ tā huí guó le.
    He returned to his country at the end of last year.

Origin

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.

年niányear
底dǐend

The year 年 at its bottom 底 means late in the year.

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.

Open 年 →

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
广广guǎngbuilding
Sound part声符shēngfú
氐
氐dī底dǐ
Same sound today

底 pairs 广 (building) with 氐, pointing to the bottom or foundation of a building. Some read 氐 as a bowing figure or tree root, adding a sense of 'down'.

Open 底 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4Months & Dates

Browse more HSK 4 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.