某年 (mǒu nián) — a certain year (indefinite reference, used when the exact year is unspecified or unknown)

Definition

noun
a certain year (indefinite reference, used when the exact year is unspecified or unknown)

Examples

  • 某年。
    mǒu nián Fā shēng le yì chǎng dà dì zhèn.
    A major earthquake occurred in a certain year.
  • 某年。
    Tā zài mǒu nián de qiū tiān qù le xī zàng.
    He went to Tibet in the autumn of a certain year.
  • 某年，。
    mǒu nián, Zhè zuò gǔ chéng bèi liè rù le shì jiè yí chǎn míng lù.
    In a certain year, this ancient city was inscribed on the World Heritage List.

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.

某mǒucertain
年niányear

Certain plus year denotes an unspecified year.

Characters in this word

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

The shape shows 木 (tree) with 甘 (sweet); it was originally the form for a Chinese plum, and later became the form for 某.

Open 某 →

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héwheat; grain
Sound part声符shēngfú
人
人rén年nián
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

年 pairs 禾 (grain) with 人, which gives the sound. Its original meaning was harvest, and it later came to mean a year.

Open 年 →

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