(xià) — (bound form) summer (in compounds like 夏天, 夏季); (bound form) Xia dynasty (in 夏朝); (bound form) ancient name for China (in 华夏)

Definition

On its own, 夏 is a bound morpheme, not a stand-alone word — it appears in compounds like 夏天 for 'summer' and 夏朝 for the Xia dynasty. Don't use it by itself; pair it with 天, 季, or 朝.

bound form
(bound form) summer (in compounds like 夏天, 夏季)(bound form) Xia dynasty (in 夏朝)(bound form) ancient name for China (in 华夏)

Examples

  • xià Tiān hěn rè, wǒ xǐ huan yóu yǒng.
    Summer is hot, I like swimming.
  • xià Cháo shì zhōng guó lì shǐ shàng dì yī gè cháo dài.
    The Xia dynasty was the first dynasty in Chinese history.
  • Huá xià shì zhōng huá mín zú de gǔ chēng.
    Huaxia is the ancient name for the Chinese nation.

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