新气象 (xīn qì xiàng) — new atmosphere, new look, new scene (referring to positive changes after reform or improvement)

Definition

A set phrase meaning 'new look / fresh atmosphere,' used for a place, organization, or era showing positive change after reform. Often appears after 一派 or 展现, as in 一派新气象.

noun
new atmospherenew looknew scene (referring to positive changes after reform or improvement)

Examples

  • ，新气象。
    Zhè ge chéng shì jīng guò gǎi zào hòu, dào chù dōu shì yí pài xīn qì xiàng.
    After the renovation, this city shows a new atmosphere everywhere.
  • ，新气象。
    Gōng sī nèi bù gǎi gé yǐ hòu, zhǎn xiàn chū le quán xīn de xīn qì xiàng.
    After the internal reform, the company has shown a completely new look.
  • ，新气象。
    Xīn xué qī kāi shǐ le, xiào yuán lǐ chōng mǎn le xīn qì xiàng.
    The new semester has started, and the campus is full of a new atmosphere.

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.

新xīnnew
气象atmosphere
气qìair象xiàngappearance
偏正Modifier + head

新 means new, and 气象 names the atmosphere or appearance, giving a new look.

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.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
斤斤jīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
辛
辛xīn新xīn
Same sound today

The shape originally paired 斤, for chopping wood, with 辛 for sound. It was borrowed for its sound to write 新, so the chopping-wood parts are unrelated to 'new'.

Open 新 →

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 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
气
气qì氣qì
Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

Open 气 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

象 is drawn as an elephant, with a long trunk, a head, and a big body.

Open 象 →

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