节日
jiérì · HSK 2
festival
🎉 节日 = 节 (festival/node) + 日 (day) — a marked day on the calendar
节 originally meant a bamboo joint or node, then extended to mean a junction in time — a special segment of the year. Pair it with 日 (sun/day) and you get the day that marks a node: a festival or holiday.
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).
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'.