Definitions

suì (noun) year; years old

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. The simplified character was adapted from the cursive form of the traditional character .

About

The character "岁", traditionally written as 歲, finds its origins in early agricultural societies where it was associated with annual harvest rituals, a connection reflected in its structural components of 步, denoting steps or progression, and 戌, representing a type of blade used in ceremonial sacrifices. This literal tie to a specific seasonal event gradually expanded into the abstract measurement of a solar year, as the concept of completing a cyclical progression became synonymous with the passage of time. Over the centuries, the character's meaning further extended to encompass human age, while its written form experienced significant simplification, resulting in the contemporary variant 岁 that retains the original semantic core through a radically streamlined graphical representation.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
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 Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Spring and Autumn (~700 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Mid Warring States (~300 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Mid Warring States (~300 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Warring States (475-221 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 Chu (Warring States: 475-221 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 Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我今年五

Wǒ jīnnián wǔ suì.

I am five years old this year.

妹妹三了吗?

Mèimei sān suì le ma?

Is my younger sister three years old?

月过得真快。

Suìyuè guò dé zhēn kuài.

Time passes really quickly.

末我们常聚会。

Suìmò wǒmen cháng jùhuì.

We often gather at the end of the year.

这孩子周生日到了。

Zhè háizi zhōusuì shēngrì dào le.

This child's first birthday is coming.

随着年龄增长,我懂了更多。

Suízhe niánlíng zēngzhǎng, wǒ dǒng le gèng duō.

As I grow older, I understand more.

月的长河中,我们不断学习。

Zài suìyuè de chánghé zhōng, wǒmen bùduàn xuéxí.

In the long river of time, we continuously learn.

尽管月变迁,他的初心未改。

Jǐnguǎn suìyuè biànqiān, tā de chūxīn wèi gǎi.

Despite the changes over time, his original intention remains unchanged.