春节
Chūn jié · HSK 2
Spring Festival (Chinese New Year)
🧧🎆 春节 = 春 (spring) + 节 (festival/holiday)
春 means spring; 节 means festival or holiday node. Together: the Spring Festival, the lunar new year. 节 also shows up in 国庆节 (National Day) and 中秋节 (Mid-Autumn Festival).
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).