朝气 (zhāo qì) — youthful spirit, vigor, vitality; (literary) mo… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literary noun for youthful vigor and freshness, almost always used in the set phrase 朝气蓬勃 ('brimming with youthful energy'). The literal 'morning freshness' sense is rare in modern use.

noun

youthful spiritvigorvitality(literary) morning freshness

Examples

朝气。
Nián qīng rén yīng gāi chōng mǎn zhāo qì.
Young people should be full of vitality.
朝气。
Zhè ge tuán duì zhǎn xiàn le péng bó de zhāo qì.
This team has shown vigorous energy.
朝气。
Qīng chén de zhāo qì ràng rén gǎn dào shén qīng qì shuǎng.
The morning freshness makes one feel refreshed and clear-headed.

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.

朝cháomorning

朝 gives morning and 气 gives vital air, so 朝气 suggests youthful freshness.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

Originally, 朝 showed the sun rising above the ground while the moon was still in the sky, giving the sense of morning.

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 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

气米氣

Meaning part形符xíngfú

米米mǐrice

Sound part声符shēngfú

气

气qì氣qì

Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

Appears in

Personality & Traits Life Stages & Age

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