日月星辰 (rì yuè xīng chén) — the celestial bodies (sun, moon, stars, etc.); the heavens

Definition

A literary four-character phrase for the sun, moon, and stars — a collective, almost poetic way to refer to the heavens. It refers only to natural celestial bodies, not the sky itself (天空).

noun
the celestial bodies (sun, moon, stars, etc.)the heavens

Examples

  • 日月星辰。
    Gǔ rén tōng guò guān chá rì yuè xīng chén lái zhì dìng lì fǎ.
    Ancient people observed the celestial bodies to create calendars.
  • 日月星辰，。
    Yǎng wàng rì yuè xīng chén, ràng rén gǎn dào yǔ zhòu de hóng dà.
    Looking up at the heavens makes one feel the vastness of the universe.
  • 日月星辰。
    Nà xiē guān yú rì yuè xīng chén de shén huà gù shi hěn měi.
    Those mythological stories about the celestial bodies are beautiful.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

日月sun and moon
日rìsun月yuèmoon
联合Side by side
星辰stars and celestial bodies
星xīngstar辰chéncelestial body
联合Side by side

日 sun and 月 moon, with 星 star and 辰 celestial body, together name the heavenly bodies.

Characters in this word

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

日 originally drew the sun. A mark was added inside to tell it apart from similar square shapes.

Open 日 →

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 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

The top of 星 is a later simplified form of 晶, twinkling stars; the bottom 生 shows the sound.

Open 星 →

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

The shape shows a farming tool used for tilling and weeding, possibly made from a large clam shell. It may also picture a person gripping a cliff.

Open 辰 →

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