四季

• Pinyin: sì jì
• Hanzi breakdown: 四 = pictograph of four — four; 季 = 禾 (grain) + 子 (child) — season, the last of a series

Meaning

The four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Used to refer to the full cycle of the year or to evoke the passage of time.

Beyond its literal meteorological meaning, 四季 is frequently used in literature and culture to symbolise the natural cycle of life, change, and renewal. Common in poetry, proverbs, and idiomatic expressions. Also appears in product names and place names, evoking images of nature and balance.

Examples

1. 这座城市四季分明，春天百花齐放，夏天绿意盎然，秋天层林尽染，冬天白雪皑皑。 This city has four distinct seasons: spring brings blossoms everywhere, summer is lush and green, autumn paints the forests in vivid colors, and winter is blanketed in snow.
2. 四季轮回不息，正如人生的悲欢离合，总在不知不觉中完成一次又一次的循环。 The seasons turn without end, much like the joys and sorrows of life—completing cycle after cycle before you even realize it.
3. 她热爱园艺，精心规划花园的种植方案，让庭院四季都有鲜花盛开、生机勃勃。 She loves gardening and carefully plans what to plant so the courtyard has flowers in bloom and lively greenery in every season.

Usage Guide

Context: nature, literary, everyday, culture

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这部纪录片以四季更迭为线索，深刻呈现了一个偏远山村在时间流逝中所经历的变迁与坚守。(This documentary uses the changing of the four seasons as a narrative thread, profoundly depicting the transformations and steadfastness experienced by a remote mountain village as time passes.)
• 植物园的设计师精心挑选了四季常青与季节性开花植物相结合的方案，确保园区全年都具备较高的观赏价值。(The botanical garden's designers carefully selected a combination of evergreen and seasonally flowering plants to ensure the park maintains high ornamental value throughout the year.)

Don't Say

• 不要将 四季 与 季节 混淆 — 四季 是一个整体性名词，指完整的年度循环；若单指某一个季节应使用 季节 或 某季

Origin & History

四 (four) + 季 (season) — the four seasons; the complete annual cycle of nature

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal