少年

• 拼音: shào nián
• 汉字拆解: 少 = 小 (small) with a stroke removed, here meaning 'young'; 年 = originally a pictograph of a person carrying grain, meaning 'year'

含义

Teenager; youth. Refers to a young person roughly between the ages of ten and seventeen.

Used in both modern and literary Chinese to refer to adolescents. It carries a slightly more literary or elevated tone than casual words like 年轻人. Common in titles of TV shows, books, and songs. Can refer to both boys and girls, though it often leans towards boys in colloquial usage.

例句

1. 他是一个聪明的少年。
2. 少年时候的朋友我现在还联系。
3. 公园里有几个少年在踢足球。

用法指南

语境: literature, everyday, media

语气: neutral

正确说法

• 这个少年很有礼貌。(This young man is very polite.)
• 我少年时候喜欢看漫画。(I liked reading comics when I was young.)

错误说法

• 不要用少年来称呼小孩子 (Don't use 少年 for small children — it refers to ages roughly 10-17; use 小孩 or 儿童 for younger children)

起源与历史

少 (shào, young) + 年 (nián, year/age). Literally 'of young years,' referring to someone in the early stage of life.

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal