旬

xún

勹 + 日

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

xún (noun) ten days; period of ten

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 日 represents the meaning and 云 represents the sound.

About

旬 is a phonosemantic compound, with 日 (rì, "sun, day") indicating the meaning and 云 (yún, "cloud") giving the sound. It originally denoted a ten-day period in the traditional Chinese calendar, where each month was split into three such segments: early, middle, and late 旬. This sense later broadened to a ten-year span when describing a person's age, so someone in their sixties can be said to be six 旬 old.

Etymology Hide

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 Late Spring and Autumn (~500 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)

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 Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

本月上旬天气很好。

Běn yuè shàng xún tiānqì hěn hǎo.

The weather was very good in the first ten days of this month.

我们预计中旬完成这项工作。

Wǒmen yùjì zhōng xún wánchéng zhè xiàng gōngzuò.

We expect to complete this work in the middle ten days of the month.

这份报告总结了公司下旬的销售情况。

Zhè fèn bàogào zǒngjié le gōngsī xià xún de xiāoshòu qíngkuàng.

This report summarizes the company's sales situation in the last ten days of the month.

他每旬都会去探望年迈的父母。

Tā měi xún dōu huì qù tànwàng niánmài de fùmǔ.

He visits his elderly parents every ten days.

这位画家正处于他创作生涯的第六个旬年。

Zhè wèi huàjiā zhèng chǔyú tā chuàngzuò shēngyá de dì liù gè xún nián.

This painter is in the sixth decade of his creative career.

八旬老人依然坚持每天阅读和学习。

Bā xún lǎorén yīrán jiānchí měitiān yuèdú hé xuéxí.

The octogenarian still insists on reading and studying every day.

根据气象预报，七月下旬将有持续高温。

Gēnjù qìxiàng yùbào, qīyuè xià xún jiāng yǒu chíxù gāowēn.

According to the weather forecast, there will be a sustained high temperature in the last ten days of July.

这份经济预测涵盖了未来三个旬度的走势分析。

Zhè fèn jīngjì yùcè hángài le wèilái sān gè xún dù de zǒushì fēnxī.

This economic forecast covers the trend analysis for the next three ten-day periods.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 勹

Component: 日

Example Words