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岁月 (suì yuè) — years; time (poetic, evoking the emotional weight of passing time)

Definition

Literary word for 'years / time passing' with a wistful, nostalgic tone — heavier than 时光, which leans toward warm or memorable moments. Compare 时代 (an era, historical period) and 年纪 (a person's age).

noun
yearstime (poetic, evoking the emotional weight of passing time)

Examples

  • 岁月，。
    Zài nà xiē suì yuè lǐ, wǒ men jīng lì le hěn duō.
    In those years, we experienced a lot.
  • 岁月，。
    suì yuè Suī rán guò qù le, dàn jì yì hái zài.
    Though the years have passed, the memories remain.
  • 岁月。
    Tā gǎn kǎi suì yuè liú shì dé tài kuài le.
    He sighed that the years pass too 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.

岁suìyear
月yuèmonth

岁 and 月 name years and months, together evoking the passing of time.

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

月 was drawn as a crescent moon, with the curved outline showing the moon’s shape.

Open 月 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Time (Abstract)

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