岁岁年年 (suì suì nián nián) — year after year; every year

Definition

A literary reduplicated phrase meaning 'year after year' — more poetic than 每年, which is the neutral everyday word. Used in writing to emphasize the passage of time.

bound form
year after yearevery year

Examples

  • 岁岁年年，。
    suì suì nián nián, Zhè ge cūn zi biàn de yuè lái yuè měi le.
    Year after year, this village becomes more and more beautiful.
  • 岁岁年年。
    Tā men suì suì nián nián dōu zài yì qǐ guò chūn jié.
    They celebrate Spring Festival together year after year.
  • 岁岁年年，。
    Shí jiān suì suì nián nián dì liú shì, dàn huí yì yǒng cún.
    Time passes year after year, but memories last forever.

Origin

Reduplicated word
构词法gòucífǎ
重叠chóngdiéReduplication

A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.

岁岁
岁suìyear岁suìyear
年年
年niányear年niányear

Doubling 岁 and 年 emphasizes many years passing, giving the sense of year after year.

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 歲; 岁 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
步步bù
Sound part声符shēngfú
戉
戉yuè歲suì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 歲, the part 步 shows movement over time, and 戉 gives the sound; this explanation is about 歲, not the simplified 岁.

Open 岁 →

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 歲; 岁 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
步步bù
Sound part声符shēngfú
戉
戉yuè歲suì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 歲, the part 步 shows movement over time, and 戉 gives the sound; this explanation is about 歲, not the simplified 岁.

Open 岁 →

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héwheat; grain
Sound part声符shēngfú
人
人rén年nián
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

年 pairs 禾 (grain) with 人, which gives the sound. Its original meaning was harvest, and it later came to mean a year.

Open 年 →

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héwheat; grain
Sound part声符shēngfú
人
人rén年nián
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

年 pairs 禾 (grain) with 人, which gives the sound. Its original meaning was harvest, and it later came to mean a year.

Open 年 →

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