Definitions

chūn (noun) spring (season)
chūn (noun) youth; vitality
chūn (adjective) joyful; lively

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. and represent the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic:

About

The character "春", representing spring, originates from early conceptual depictions of the season where plant life revitalizes under the lengthening days and strengthening sun. Its structure combines the radical for sun, "日", with components that historically symbolized burgeoning vegetation, forming a composite image of growth and renewal. Over centuries, the character's form gradually consolidated into its present configuration, with the elemental sun above motifs suggesting sprouting plants, even as the details of these pictorial elements became stylized. While the primary meaning has always centered on the climatic season, the term has extended to encompass notions of youth, vitality, and romantic passion, reflecting the cultural and natural associations of springtime that have enriched its usage over time.

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)
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)
Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Spring and Autumn (771-476 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 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 Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

天快要到了。

Chūntiān kuàiyào dào le.

Spring is almost here.

孩子们喜欢在天放风筝。

Háizimen xǐhuan zài chūntiān fàng fēngzheng.

Children like flying kites in spring.

节期间我们全家团聚。

Chūnjié qījiān wǒmen quánjiā tuánjù.

Our whole family gets together during the Spring Festival.

温暖的风拂过我的脸庞。

Wēnnuǎn de chūnfēng fúguò wǒ de liǎnpáng.

The warm spring breeze brushed against my face.

她的笑容里充满了天的气息。

Tā de xiàoróng lǐ chōngmǎn le chūntiān de qìxī.

Her smile is full of the breath of spring.

这座城市的天短暂而美丽。

Zhè zuò chéngshì de chūntiān duǎnzàn ér měilì.

Spring in this city is brief but beautiful.

我们要珍惜宝贵的青时光。

Wǒmen yào zhēnxī bǎoguì de qīngchūn shíguāng.

We must cherish our precious youth.

画家用色彩描绘出心中的天。

Huàjiā yòng sècǎi miáohuì chū xīnzhōng de chūntiān.

The painter uses colors to depict the spring in his heart.