近些年 (jìn xiē nián) — in recent years

Definition

A time phrase meaning 'in recent years.' It always sits at the start of a sentence as a topic or adverbial — never as a subject or object on its own.

noun

in recent years

近些年，。
jìn xiē nián, Zhōng guó de jīng jì yǒu le hěn dà de fā zhǎn.
In recent years, China's economy has seen great development.
近些年，。
jìn xiē nián, Yuè lái yuè duō de rén kāi shǐ xué xí hàn yǔ.
In recent years, more and more people have started learning Chinese.
近些年，。
jìn xiē nián, Zhè ge chéng shì de biàn huà fēi cháng dà.
In recent years, this city has changed a lot.

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.

辶斤近

Meaning part形符xíngfú

辶Written in full as辵chuòwalk

Sound part声符shēngfú

斤

Same sound today

近 combines 辶, a walking radical, with 斤, which gives the sound. The walking part fits the idea of moving close to something.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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.