曙

shǔ

日 + 署

Definitions

shǔ (noun) daybreak; dawn

shǔ (noun) dawn of a new epoch

Etymology phono-semantic

sun

Semantic: 日 Phonetic: 署

About

曙 is a phono-semantic compound formed by the sun radical 日 on the left, indicating a connection to sunlight and the time of day, and the phonetic component 署 on the right, which establishes the pronunciation. Its literal meaning is dawn or daybreak: the early morning moment when the sun's first rays appear on the horizon and dispel the darkness of night. Beyond describing the physical sunrise, the character frequently appears in figurative contexts to represent the dawning of hope, the beginning of a promising new era, or the initial positive shift after a period of difficulty.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

曙光出现在东方。

shǔ guāng chū xiàn zài dōng fāng.

The first light of dawn appears in the east.

清晨的曙色非常美丽。

qīng chén de shǔ sè fēi cháng měi lì.

The dawn light of the early morning is very beautiful.

我们终于看到了胜利的曙光。

wǒ men zhōng yú kàn dào le shèng lì de shǔ guāng.

We finally saw the dawn of victory.

黎明前的曙光最是黑暗。

lí míng qián de shǔ guāng zuì shì hēi àn.

The dawn just before daybreak is the darkest.

她在曙光中开始了晨跑。

tā zài shǔ guāng zhōng kāi shǐ le chén pǎo.

She started her morning run in the dawn light.

这项发明为医学领域带来了新的曙光。

zhè xiàng fā míng wèi yī xué lǐng yù dài lái le xīn de shǔ guāng.

This invention has brought a new dawn to the field of medicine.

她眼中闪烁着希望的曙光。

tā yǎn zhōng shǎn shuò zhe xī wàng de shǔ guāng.

The light of hope flickered in her eyes.

人类历史正揭开一个充满挑战的曙色时代。

rén lèi lì shǐ zhèng jiē kāi yī gè chōng mǎn tiǎo zhàn de shǔ sè shí dài.

Human history is unveiling a dawning age full of challenges.

Related Characters

Component: 日

Component: 署

曙