TongTong
Sign in

光阴 (guāng yīn) — time (as a fleeting, precious resource; literary/formal register)

Definition

Literary, poetic word for 'time' — emphasizes how quickly it passes. Far more formal than 时间; often paired with 似箭 (光阴似箭 = 'time flies').

noun
time (as a fleeting, precious resource; literary/formal register)

Examples

  • 光阴，。
    guāng yīn Sì jiàn, zhuǎn yǎn jiān yì nián jiù guò qù le.
    Time flies like an arrow, and in the blink of an eye a year has passed.
  • 光阴。
    Wǒ men yào zhēn xī měi yí cùn guāng yīn.
    We must cherish every moment of time.
  • 光阴。
    Dà xué sì nián de guāng yīn hěn kuài jiù guò qù le.
    The four years of university passed very quickly.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

光guānglight
阴yīnshadow

光 means light and 阴 means shadow, together suggesting the passing of time.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 火火huǒfire
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The shape 光 places 火 (fire) above 卩 (a kneeling person), showing fire over the head and the shining of light.

Open 光 →

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 陰; 阴 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阜阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
侌
侌yīn陰yīn
Same sound today

The traditional form 陰 combines 阜, the meaning part, with 侌, the sound part. The simplified 阴 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 阴 →
Appears in
Time (Abstract)

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.