年度
niándù · HSK 5
(school/etc.) year
📅 年 (year) + 度 (degree/measure) = annual measure, i.e. a yearly cycle
年 means year; 度 means degree or a unit of measure. Together 年度 is a measured year — the standard term for an academic or fiscal year, as distinct from 年 alone.
年 — grain 禾 over person 人 (oracle bone)
Originally a pictograph of a person carrying a bundle of harvested grain on their back, representing the yearly grain harvest. Because harvests came once a year, the character shifted from meaning 'harvest' to meaning 'year.' The modern form 年 obscures the original 禾 (grain) + 人 (person) structure.
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.