季度
jì dù · HSK 4
quarter of a year
📅 季 = season + 度 = measure/period → a measured season = quarter
季 means season (think Q1–Q4 of the year), and 度 means a measure or span of time. Together 季度 literally reads as season-period, used for fiscal quarters in business and for sports seasons.
季 — grain 禾 on top + child 子 below
Originally an associative compound showing young grain (禾) and a child (子), suggesting a young or immature crop. From this it came to mean 'youngest' among siblings, then a season or quarter of the year — a recurring period like a harvest cycle. Today it mostly means 'season' or a surname.
度 — 广 (shelter) + 庶 abbreviated (phonetic)
Originally depicted a hand measuring length under a shelter, meaning 'to measure' or 'a measure/standard.' From this came extended senses like 'degree,' 'extent,' and 'to pass through' (as in passing time). The reading 'dù' means degree/measure, while 'duó' preserves the older verbal sense of measuring.