季节
jìjié · HSK 4
season
🍂 季 = seasonal period + 节 = node/joint; together = season
季 originally meant the youngest child, extended to the last month of a season, then any season. 节 means a joint or node (like bamboo segments), marking divisions in time. Together: the jointed periods of the year.
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.
节 — bamboo radical 竹 (⺮) + 即
Originally written 節, depicting a bamboo joint — the segmented node where a stalk divides. The bamboo radical ⺮ gives the meaning, while 即 supplies the sound. From 'bamboo joint' the meaning expanded to any segment, hence 'section,' 'festival' (a marked point in the year), and 'restraint' (knowing where to stop).