新年

Etymology & Components

The Chinese word 新年 (xīnnián) is composed of two characters: 新 (xīn), meaning "new," and 年 (nián), meaning "year." The word 新年 is therefore literally translated as "new year."The character 新 (xīn) is composed of two parts: 日 (rì), meaning "sun," and 生 (shēng), meaning "to be born." The character 新 therefore literally means "a new day," and figuratively means "new."The character 年 (nián) is composed of two parts: 禾 (hé), meaning "rice," and 稔 (rěn), meaning "ripe." The character 年 therefore literally means "a year of ripe rice," and figuratively means "year."The word 新年 (xīnnián) is therefore a compound word that literally means "a new year of ripe rice," and figuratively means "new year."