生日
shēngrì · HSK 1
birthday
🎂 生日 = 生 (birth) + 日 (day)
生 means to be born or give rise to; 日 is the sun, and by extension a day. Together they literally spell out birth-day, the day someone was born.
生 — sprout 屮 above earth 土
Originally a pictograph showing a young plant sprouting from the ground, with 屮 (a sprout) above 土 (earth). The core meaning is 'to be born, to grow, to live,' which extends to 'raw, unripe, unfamiliar.' The modern form has simplified the sprout shape but preserves the image of new growth emerging from soil.
日 — pictograph of the sun
日 is a pictograph of the sun, originally drawn as a circle with a dot or stroke inside representing the sun's substance. Over time the round shape was squared off into the modern rectangular form. It means 'sun' and by extension 'day'.
shēng rì · HSK 2
birthday
🎂 生日 = 生 (born) + 日 (day) — literally 'born-day'
生 means 'to be born' or 'life' and 日 means 'sun' or 'day'. Together they form 'birthday' — the day you were born. 日 also shows up in 日本 (Japan, 'sun-origin') and 今日 (today).
生 — sprout 屮 above earth 土
Originally a pictograph showing a young plant sprouting from the ground, with 屮 (a sprout) above 土 (earth). The core meaning is 'to be born, to grow, to live,' which extends to 'raw, unripe, unfamiliar.' The modern form has simplified the sprout shape but preserves the image of new growth emerging from soil.
日 — pictograph of the sun
日 is a pictograph of the sun, originally drawn as a circle with a dot or stroke inside representing the sun's substance. Over time the round shape was squared off into the modern rectangular form. It means 'sun' and by extension 'day'.