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旭日 (xù rì) — rising sun

Definition

Literary word for the 'rising sun,' often used in writing to evoke new beginnings or vitality. More poetic and imagery-driven than 曙光, which is also figurative but emphasizes first light and hope.

noun
rising sun
Measure word · 轮

Examples

  • ，旭日。
    Měi tiān zǎo chén, wǒ dōu néng kàn dào xù rì cóng shān hòu shēng qǐ.
    Every morning, I can see the rising sun emerge from behind the mountains.
  • 旭日。
    xù rì Xiàng zhēng zhe xīn de kāi shǐ hé xī wàng.
    The rising sun symbolizes new beginnings and hope.
  • ，旭日。
    Tā men qǐ dé hěn zǎo, wèi le kàn xù rì.
    They got up very early in order to see the rising sun.

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.

旭xùrising
日rìsun

The 旭 suggests brightness or rising, and the 日 is the sun, giving the image of the morning sun.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
日日rìsun
Sound part声符shēngfú
九
九jiǔ旭⁰xù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

旭 is made of 九 and 日 (sun); 九 gives the sound.

Open 旭 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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