qù nián
last year
去年我去了北京。
Qùnián wǒ qùle Běijīng.
Last year I went to Beijing.
去年我买了一辆车。
Qùnián wǒ mǎile yī liàng chē.
Last year I bought a car.
去年我结婚了。
Qùnián wǒ jiéhūnle.
Last year I got married.
去年儿 (qùniánr)
last year
去年头 (qùniántóu)
last year
去年间 (qùniánjiān)
last year
今年 (jīn nián)
this year
明年 (míng nián)
next year
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The Chinese word 去年 (qùnián) is composed of two characters: 去 (qù), meaning "to go away" or "last", and 年 (nián), meaning "year". Together, they literally mean "last year".The character 去 (qù) is a pictograph of a person walking away. It was originally used to represent the idea of "going away" or "departing". Over time, it came to be used more broadly to mean "last" or "previous".The character 年 (nián) is a pictograph of a grain head. It was originally used to represent the idea of "harvest" or "year". Over time, it came to be used more broadly to mean "year" in general.The combination of 去 (qù) and 年 (nián) to form 去年 (qùnián) is a natural and logical way to express the idea of "last year". The word is commonly used in both spoken and written Chinese.
