TongTong
Sign in

星辰 (xīng chén) — stars (in a literary or poetic sense); heavenly bodies

Definition

Literary word for 'stars,' used in poetic or elevated writing rather than everyday speech. Comparable to 星星, but more formal and figurative.

noun
stars (in a literary or poetic sense)heavenly bodies

Examples

  • 星辰。
    Yè kōng zhōng shǎn shuò de xīng chén ràng rén xīn zuì.
    The twinkling stars in the night sky are enchanting.
  • 星辰，。
    Yǔ zhòu zhōng de xīng chén shǔ bú shèng shǔ, guǎng kuò wú biān.
    The stars in the universe are countless and vast.
  • 星辰。
    Gǔ rén duì xīng chén yǒu zhe wú xiàn de xiàng wǎng hé jìng wèi.
    Ancient people had infinite yearning and awe for the stars.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

星xīngstar
辰chénheavenly body

星 and 辰 both refer to heavenly bodies, so together they mean stars.

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.

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 →
Appears in
Sky & Space

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.