季

jì

子 + 禾

HSK 3.0Level 3

Definitions

jì (noun) season

jì (noun) last month of a season

jì (noun) youngest brother

Etymology

禾 represents short stalks of grain, 子 represents a young child. Based on the original meaning "youngest, small grains". The meaning later shifted to "crops", and "season".

About

季 combines 禾 (short stalks of grain) and 子 (young child), originally meaning "youngest" or "small grains", the last, smallest grains of the harvest. This sense of finality gave rise to its use for the youngest brother in the bo-zhong-shu-ji ranking. Over time, the meaning shifted to the last month of a season, then broadened to "season" as a whole, and also came to mean "crops".

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Spring and Autumn (771-476 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

春天是我喜欢的季节。

Chūntiān shì wǒ xǐhuān de jìjié.

Spring is my favorite season.

一年有四个季节。

Yī nián yǒu sì gè jìjié.

There are four seasons in a year.

这个季度我们很忙。

Zhège jìdù wǒmen hěn máng.

We are very busy this quarter.

球队进入了决赛。

Qiúduì jìnrùle juésài.

The team entered the finals.

雨季就要到来了。

Yǔjì jiù yào dàoláile.

The rainy season is coming soon.

他获得了比赛的季军。

Tā huòdéle bǐsài de jìjūn.

He won third place in the competition.

季节变化影响着经济。

Jìjié biànhuà yǐngxiǎng zhe jīngjì.

Seasonal changes affect the economy.

本季度气候适宜作物生长。

Běn jìdù qìhòu shìyí zuòwù shēngzhǎng.

The climate this quarter is suitable for crop growth.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 子

Component: 禾

Example Words