HSK Level 5

光线

guāng xiàn

light; optical line

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Example Sentences

阳光照射在树叶上,形成美丽的图案。

yángguāng zhàoshè zài shùyè shàng, xíngchéng měilì de túàn.

The sunlight shines on the leaves, forming beautiful patterns.

灯光照亮了整个房间。

dēngguāng zhàoliàngle zhěnggè fángjiān.

The light illuminates the entire room.

我打开手电筒,光线照亮了前方的路。

wǒ dǎkāi shǒudiàntǒng, guāngxiàn zhàoliàngle qiánfāng de lù.

I turn on the flashlight, and the light illuminates the path ahead.

Synonyms

(guāng)

light

亮光 (liàngguāng)

brightness

Antonyms

黑暗 (hēi àn)

darkness

阴暗 (yīn àn)

gloomy

Etymology & Components

The Chinese word 光线 (guāngxiàn) for "light ray" is a compound of two characters: 光 (guāng), meaning "light", and 线 (xiàn), meaning "line" or "thread". The character 光 originally meant "firefly" and was later extended to mean "light" in general. The character 线 originally meant "silk thread" and was later extended to mean "line" or "thread" in general. The combination of these two characters creates the word 光线, which specifically refers to a ray of light.