春 is the character for “spring”. It is made out of 9 strokes.
| Chinese Character | Simplified Version | Bopomofo | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 春 | 春 | ㄔㄨㄣ | chūn |
Definition
Spring (time); joyful; youthful; love; lust; life
Historical Origins
The Chinese character 春, meaning “spring,” originated as a phono-semantic compound. Its structure combines the semantic component 艸 (“grass”) with the phonetic 屯 (tun, meaning “sprout”). Over time, the character evolved to include 日 (“sun”), reflecting the season’s association with plant growth and sunlight. An intermediate form, 萅, showcased this addition. Eventually, the components merged into 𡗗, giving rise to the modern form of 春. Interestingly, 春 likely served as a variant of 屯 in Old Chinese literature, both conveying the meaning of “spring.”
Vocabulary with the Character 春
| Chinese | Bopomofo | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 春天 | ㄔㄨㄣ ㄊㄧㄢ | chūntiān | Spring (season) |
| 春節 | ㄔㄨㄣ ㄐㄧㄝˊ | Chūnjié | Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) |
| 春光 | ㄔㄨㄣ ㄍㄨㄤ | chūnguāng | Spring scenery |
| 青春 | ㄑㄧㄥ ㄔㄨㄣ | qīngchūn | Youth |
| 春卷 | ㄔㄨㄣ ㄐㄩㄢˇ | chūnjuǎn | Spring roll |
Join our Substack “Mandarin Zest“, where we regularly share intermediate to advanced Chinese learning content. Make sure to subscribe!
Bubble Tea Island 