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新纪元 (xīn jì yuán) — new era, new epoch

Definition

新纪元 (xīn jìyuán) is the formal, written-style word for 'new era' — used in news, history, and speeches rather than everyday talk. It emphasizes a major historical turning point, not minor changes.

noun
new eranew epoch

Examples

  • 新纪元。
    Zhè ge fā míng biāo zhì zhe yí gè xīn jì yuán de kāi shǐ.
    This invention marks the beginning of a new era.
  • 新纪元。
    Rén lèi shè huì jìn rù le shù zì xīn jì yuán.
    Human society has entered the digital new era.
  • 新纪元。
    Zhè běn shū jiǎng shù le nà ge xīn jì yuán de lì shǐ.
    This book tells the history of that new epoch.

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
纪元era
纪jìchronology元yuánbeginning
偏正Modifier + head

新 means new and 纪元 means era, so the word denotes a new era or epoch.

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 紀; 纪 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk
Sound part声符shēngfú
己
己jǐ紀jì
Same sound today

The traditional form 紀 pairs 糸, silk, with 己 as the sound part; the simplified 纪 is a shorthand.

Open 纪 →

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

The shape 元 shows a figure with two lines for a head, one connected to the body and one above it, emphasizing the head.

Open 元 →
Appears in
Time (Abstract)

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