春秋 (chūn qiū) — spring and autumn (the two seasons, often standing for the year as a whole); year (age of a person); the Spring and Autumn period (c. 770–476 BCE) or the <em>Spring and Autumn Annals</em>

Definition

Literally 'spring and autumn,' 春秋 commonly stands for 'years' or 'age' (as in 八十六春秋), and also names the historical Spring and Autumn period (c. 770–476 BCE) and its classic annals.

noun
spring and autumn (the two seasons, often standing for the year as a whole)year (age of a person)the Spring and Autumn period (c. 770–476 BCE) or the <em>Spring and Autumn Annals</em>

Examples

  • 春秋，。
    Yé ye suī yǐ bā shí liù chūn qiū, réng rán měi tiān dú shū xiě zì.
    Although Grandpa is already eighty-six years old, he still reads and writes every day.
  • 春秋，，。
    chūn qiū Shí qī, zhū hóu zhēng bà, bǎi jiā zhēng míng.
    During the Spring and Autumn period, feudal lords vied for hegemony and a hundred schools of thought contended.
  • ，春秋。
    Cǐ chù fēng jǐng yōu měi, chūn qiū liǎng jì zuì wéi yí rén.
    The scenery here is beautiful; spring and autumn are the most pleasant seasons.

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.

春chūnspring
秋qiūautumn

春 means spring and 秋 means autumn, the two seasons together stand for years or history.

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
艸艸cǎograss
日日rìsun
Sound part声符shēngfú
屯
屯tún春chūn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

春 combines 艸 (grass) and 日 (sun) with 屯, which supplies the sound and is described as a swollen sprout.

Open 春 →

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
禾禾hégrain
Sound part声符shēngfú
𤒅
𤒅𤒅秋qiū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape 秋 pairs 禾 (grain) with 𤒅, which gives the sound.

Open 秋 →

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