年

秊

nián

HSK 2.0Level 1

HSK 3.0Level 1

Definitions

nián (noun) year

Etymology

Pictograph of a person (人) harvesting grain (禾). The harvest season is a yearly event.

About

年 (nián) originated as a pictograph of a person (人) harvesting grain (禾), shown carrying a bundle of crops on their back. The upper component, 禾 (hé), represents grain, while the lower part was originally a human figure, now simplified into strokes that look like 千 (qiān). The harvest season was a yearly event, so the meaning shifted from the harvest itself to the annual cycle, and later came to denote a calendar year or a person's age.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Spring and Autumn (~700 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Spring and Autumn (~700 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 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)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

今年是虎年。

jīn nián shì hǔ nián.

This year is the Year of the Tiger.

我的年龄是十岁。

wǒ de nián líng shì shí suì.

My age is ten years old.

去年我们去北京旅游了。

qù nián wǒ men qù běi jīng lǚ yóu le.

Last year we traveled to Beijing.

每年春节都很热闹。

měi nián chūn jié dōu hěn rè nao.

Every year, Spring Festival is very lively.

青年人是国家的未来。

qīng nián rén shì guó jiā de wèi lái.

Young people are the future of the country.

这部电影讲述了多年的故事。

zhè bù diàn yǐng jiǎng shù le duō nián de gù shì.

This movie tells a story of many years.

如果今年下雨少，明年可能缺水。

rú guǒ jīn nián xià yǔ shǎo, míng nián kě néng quē shuǐ.

If it rains less this year, there might be water shortage next year.

经过多年的努力，他终于实现了自己的梦想。

jīng guò duō nián de nǔ lì, tā zhōng yú shí xiàn le zì jǐ de mèng xiǎng.

After many years of effort, he finally realized his dream.

Example Words