本期
běn qī · HSK 6
the current period
📅 本 (root/current) + 期 (period/term) = this current period
本 means root or this/current; 期 means period or term. Common in finance and publishing: 本期账单 this period's bill, 本期节目 this episode. Contrast with 上期 (last period) and 下期 (next period).
本 — tree 木 + mark at base
本 is a pictograph of a tree (木) with a stroke at its base, marking the roots. From this 'root' meaning it extended to 'origin,' 'source,' and 'foundation.' In modern usage it also serves as a measure word for bound objects like books.
期 — 其 (phonetic) + 月 (moon/time)
期 is a phono-semantic compound. The right side 月 (moon) signals meaning, since lunar cycles marked fixed time periods in ancient China. The left side 其 supplies the sound. Together it points to a set time, period, or appointed date — meanings still carried today in words like 期间 and 日期.