晨

chén

日 + 辰

Definitions

chén (noun) morning; dawn; daybreak

Etymology

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

Semantic: 日 Phonetic: 辰

About

The character 晨 is a phono-semantic compound with the semantic component 日 (sun) on top and the phonetic component 辰 below, which relates to celestial bodies and time. It denotes early morning, specifically sunrise and the breaking of daylight. The sun radical anchors its meaning to the solar cycle and the transition from night to day. This character is used exclusively for concepts of dawn or the first part of the day, often appearing in words describing morning routines, dew, or the sunrise itself.

Etymology Hide

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

早晨的空气很新鲜。

Zǎochén de kōngqì hěn xīnxiān.

The morning air is very fresh.

清晨我听到鸟叫声。

Qīngchén wǒ tīng dào niǎojiào shēng.

I hear birds singing in the early morning.

他喜欢早晨去公园跑步。

Tā xǐhuan zǎochen qù gōngyuán pǎobù.

He likes to go running in the park in the morning.

我们计划在凌晨出发旅行。

Wǒmen jìhuà zài língchén chūfā lǚxíng.

We plan to set off on our trip in the wee hours of the morning.

晨光透过窗户照了进来。

Chénguāng tòuguò chuānghù zhào le jìnlái.

The morning light shone through the window.

爷爷每天坚持晨练半小时。

Yéye měitiān jiānchí chénliàn bàn xiǎoshí.

Grandpa insists on half an hour of morning exercise every day.

这个早晨因你的到来而特别。

Zhège zǎochen yīn nǐ de dàolái ér tèbié.

This morning is special because of your arrival.

在晨雾弥漫的湖边散步令人心旷神怡。

Zài chénwù mímàn de hú biān sànbù lìng rén xīnkuàngshényí.

Taking a walk by the lake shrouded in morning mist is refreshing and delightful.

Related Characters

Component: 日

Component: 辰

晨