金秋 (jīn qiū) — golden autumn (a poetic term for autumn)

Definition

Literary, poetic name for 'golden autumn,' the harvest season. Far more formal and written than plain 秋天.

noun
golden autumn (a poetic term for autumn)

Examples

  • 金秋，。
    jīn qiū Shí jié, dào gǔ piāo xiāng.
    In golden autumn, the rice fields are fragrant.
  • 金秋。
    Wǒ xǐ huan jīn qiū de liáng shuǎng tiān qì.
    I like the cool weather of golden autumn.
  • 金秋。
    jīn qiū Shì shōu huò de jì jié.
    Golden autumn is the season of harvest.

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.

金jīngolden
秋qiūautumn

The golden color of harvest describes 秋, making a poetic name for autumn.

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.

金 was drawn with marks for two pieces of metal, along with a part that gave its sound; it first meant copper, then metals and gold.

Open 金 →

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hégrain
Sound part声符shēngfú
𤒅
𤒅𤒅秋qiū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape 秋 pairs 禾 (grain) with 𤒅, which gives the sound.

Open 秋 →

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