年终
nián zhōng · HSK 7
end of the year
📅🎆 年 year + 终 end/finish = the year's finish line, end of the year
终 zhōng is the same end found in 终点 zhōngdiǎn finish line and 最终 final. So 年终 is literally year-end, the wrap-up season of bonuses and reports.
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.