年
nián · year💡 How to pronounce
n → like the 'n' in 'no'. ián → like 'yen' but with a rising tone.
📖 The Story
年 originally meant the harvest season. In oracle bone script, it shows a person carrying a bundle of grain — the harvest that comes once a year. Over time, it came to mean 'year' itself.
🎬 In Culture Today
Chinese New Year is called 'Guo Nian' (过年), which means 'passing the year.' Legend says a monster named Nian used to attack villages at the end of each year. People discovered it was afraid of loud noises, fire, and the color red.
📝 Example Sentences
明年我要去中国。
I will go to China next year.
过年的时候我们吃饺子。
We eat dumplings during the New Year.