世纪末 (shì jì mò) — end of a century

Definition

Literally 'end of a century,' often used in its French sense of 'fin de siècle' to describe a mood of decadence, anxiety, or cultural decline at the close of a century.

noun
end of a century

Examples

  • 世纪末。
    Shí jiǔ shì jì mò fā shēng le hěn duō dà shì.
    Many major events happened at the end of the 19th century.
  • 世纪末。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng fǎn yìng le shì jì mò de yōu yù qíng xù.
    This film reflects the melancholy mood of the fin de siècle.
  • 世纪末,。
    shì jì mò De shí hou, rén men cháng cháng gǎn dào bù ān.
    At the end of a century, people often feel uneasy.

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.

世纪century
联合Side by side

世纪 'century' and 末 'end' mean the end of a century.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 世 →

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 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

末 adds a mark at the top of a tree-like shape to show its tip or end.

Open 末 →

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