旭日
xùrì
The English phrase "rising sun" is translated into Mandarin as 旭日 (xùrì).
The term refers to the sun as it rises above the horizon in the morning.
What does it mean word for word?
旭日 is composed of 旭 (xù), meaning 'rising sun' or 'dawn' and 日 (rì), meaning 'sun'.
Which one should you use?
While 旭日 describes the rising sun itself, 日出 (rì chū) is a formal way to focus specifically on the action of the sun rising (sunrise). Additionally, 朝阳 (zhāo yáng) is a formal term used to encompass the general idea of the morning sun.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
旭日 is a literary and formal term. For more casual or colloquial speech, you can use 日头出来 (rì tóu chū lái) to express the sun coming out or rising. Compared to the phrase 太阳升起 (tàiyáng shēngqǐ), 旭日 is considered more formal and literary.
How do you pronounce it?
xùrì
Did you know?
- The word 阳 (yáng) in the related term 朝阳 (zhāoyáng) refers to the 'yang' energy of brightness and heat, which is traditionally associated with the sun.
- In Chinese calligraphy, the character 日 (rì) for 'sun' began as a circle with a dot in the middle to represent the celestial body.
- If you use the colloquial 日头 (rì tóu) to describe the sun, you are literally calling it the 'sun's head'.
Examples in context
- 我喜欢看旭日升起的美景。I enjoy watching the beautiful scenery of the rising sun.
- 请大家欣赏美丽的日出。Please enjoy the beautiful sunrise.
- 这座城市的朝阳美景令人陶醉。The morning sun scenery of this city is mesmerizing.
- 今天早上太阳升起得很美。The sun rose beautifully this morning.
- 远处升起了红色的旭日。Yuǎnchù shēngqǐle hóngsè de xùrì.A red rising sun rose in the distance.
- 我们去海边看旭日东升。Wǒmen qù hǎibiān kàn xùrì dōng shēng.Let's go to the seaside to watch the rising sun.
- 旭日的光芒非常温暖。Xùrì de guāngmáng fēicháng wēnnuǎn.The light of the rising sun is very warm.
Example conversation
Yuting and Haoran are hiking up a mountain before dawn.
- 雨婷 Yuting浩然，你看，旭日快出来了！Hào rán, nǐ kàn, xùrì kuài chūlái le!Haoran, look, the rising sun is almost here!
- 浩然 Haoran哇，天空变成了橘红色。Wa, tiānkōng biànchéng le júhóng sè.Wow, the sky has turned orange-red.
- 雨婷 Yuting早起看旭日真是值得。Zǎoqǐ kàn xùrì zhēnshì zhídé.Waking up early to see the rising sun is really worth it.
- 浩然 Haoran我也这么觉得，太壮观了。Wǒ yě zhème juéde, tài zhuàngguān le.I think so too, it's magnificent.
