The word 季节 (jìjié, meaning "season") is formed by combining two characters that both inherently relate to marked periods of time. The first character, 季, originally depicted a young grain shoot and carries the core idea of a division or period within a cycle, particularly one of the four quarters of the year. The second character, 节, originally meant the joint of a bamboo stalk, a natural point of division. Together, they create a compound where both elements reinforce the same concept: a distinct, recurring segment of the yearly cycle, visually and conceptually likening the flow of the year to a segmented plant with natural, repeating intervals.