年
nián
grain
harvest (old); variant of 年[nian2]
a picture of 年 → a grain stalk bending under the weight of a harvest
The character originally depicted a person carrying a bundle of ripened grain stalks. Over time it shifted from 'harvest' to 'year', since a year was naturally measured by one harvest cycle.
古时候，年指的是一次收成。
gǔ shí hou， nián zhǐ de shì yī cì shōu cheng。
In ancient times, 'nián' referred to one harvest.
在很老的文字里，年字原本表示谷物丰收的意思。
zài hěn lǎo de wén zì lǐ， nián zì yuán běn biǎo shì gǔ wù fēng shōu de yì si。
In very old texts, the character 'nián' originally expressed the meaning of a good grain harvest.
Words with 年
逐年
zhú nián
year after year
这年头
zhè nián tou
(coll.) nowadays
逢年过节
féng nián guò jié
during holidays and festivals; on festive occasions such as New Year
连年
lián nián
successive years
周年
zhōu nián
anniversary
过年
guò nián
to celebrate the Chinese New Year
遐年
xiá nián
a great age
遗臭万年
yí chòu wàn nián
to have one's name go down in history as a byword for infamy (idiom)
都什么年代了
dōu shén me nián dài le
What decade are you living in?
郑人争年
zhèng rén zhēng nián
a futile quarrel
长年
cháng nián
all the year round
长年累月
cháng nián lěi yuè
year in, year out (idiom)