逐年
zhúnián · HSK 7
year after year
📅 逐 = one by one + 年 = year, so year by year, each year in turn
逐 carries the sense of going through things one at a time; paired with 年 (year) it means progressing year after year. Sound cue: zhúnián rhymes with the steady tick of each new year arriving.
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.