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时光 (shí guāng) — (literary) time, the passage of time; a period of time (often beautiful or memorable)

Definition

时光 is a literary, slightly nostalgic word for 'time' or 'a period of time,' often evoking memories — warmer and more emotional than the neutral 时间. Similar to 岁月 but used more broadly for any stretch of time, not just years.

noun
(literary) timethe passage of timea period of time (often beautiful or memorable)

Examples

  • 时光，。
    shí guāng Fēi shì, zhuǎn yǎn yǐ jīng shí nián le.
    Time flies, and ten years have passed in the blink of an eye.
  • 时光。
    Wǒ men yào zhēn xī měi yí duàn měi hǎo de shí guāng.
    We should cherish every beautiful period of time.
  • 时光。
    Nà duàn kuài lè de tóng nián shí guāng zhì jīn réng ràng wǒ huái niàn.
    That happy childhood time still makes me nostalgic to this day.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

时shítime
光guāngtime

时 and 光 both point to time, giving a literary sense of its passage.

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 時; 时 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
日日rìsun; day
Sound part声符shēngfú
之
之zhī時shí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 時 pairs 日 (sun/day) with 之 as the part that gives the sound; the simplified 时 is not the form described.

Open 时 →

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 →
Appears in
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