纪元 (jì yuán) — era, epoch; specifically the beginning of a reign or era

Definition

纪元 (jì yuán) means an 'era' or 'epoch' counted from a starting point — typically the start of a reign, dynasty, or other landmark (as in 公元). It emphasizes the beginning that defines a span of years, not just any period.

noun
eraepochspecifically the beginning of a reign or era

Examples

  • 2020纪元。
    Gōng yuán 2020 nián shì xīn de jì yuán de kāi shǐ.
    The year 2020 AD is the beginning of a new era.
  • 纪元221。
    Zhè ge wáng cháo de jì yuán cóng gōng yuán qián 221 nián kāi shǐ.
    The era of this dynasty began in 221 BC.
  • 纪元。
    Lì shǐ xué jiā bǎ zhè duàn shí qī chēng wéi yí gè xīn de jì yuán.
    Historians call this period a new era.

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.

纪jìera
元yuánbeginning

纪 means era and 元 means beginning, giving an 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.

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 →

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