春 chūn spring
spring; youth
How to remember 春: 三 three + 人 person + 日 sun = spring. Three kids and one old person sit on a park bench, faces turned to the first warm sun of spring.
Component breakdown
形声 · Meaning + sound
originally 艸 + 屯 + 日
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
春 = 𡗗 folded hands + 日 sun
- 𡗗 folded hands shape only
- 三 three
- 人 person
- 日 sun meaning
Three kids and one old person sit on a park bench, faces turned to the first warm sun of spring.
How it came to be
The character joins grass and the sun for the meaning with a swelling sprout for the sound; today grass and sprout have merged into the top part.
How it is used
- Spring (season): 春天 (chūntiān) / 春季 (chūnjì) spring; 春节 (Chūnjié) is Spring Festival / Chinese New Year.
- Metaphor for youth and vitality: 青春 (qīngchūn) youth, 青春期 (qīngchūnqī) puberty.
- 新春 (xīnchūn) 'new spring' is a warm greeting phrase around the Lunar New Year.
Characters built with 春
Words with 春
Example sentences
- 春天来了。 Chūntiān lái le.Spring has come.