季节
season; time of year
jìjié
What does 季节 mean?
季节 (jìjié) means 'season' in the calendar sense — spring, summer, autumn, winter — or more loosely 'a time of year' marked by characteristic weather, activity, or produce. Chinese speakers use 季节 for both the four meteorological seasons (四季 sìjì) and for thematic seasons like 雨季 (rainy season), 旅游季节 (tourist season), or 苹果季节 (apple season).
One important register note: 季节 is the general noun ('this season is hot,' 这个季节很热), but to name a specific season you almost always use the individual word — 春天, 夏天, 秋天, 冬天 — not 春季节. The compound 季 alone also functions as a measure word for sports leagues and TV ('第一季 season 1') — a different sense from 季节.
Character breakdown
season; quarter (of a year); (as MW) season of a show
joint; segment; festival; node
Memory hook: 季 = quarter of a year, 节 = segment / node. Together: 'segments of the year' — the four seasons.
Measure word for 季节
Example sentences
你最喜欢哪个季节？
Nǐ zuì xǐhuan nǎ ge jìjié?
Which season do you like best?
spoken
这个季节的水果很新鲜。
Zhè ge jìjié de shuǐguǒ hěn xīnxiān.
The fruit this season is very fresh.
neutral
北京一年有四个季节。
Běijīng yì nián yǒu sì ge jìjié.
Beijing has four seasons in a year.
neutral
现在是旅游的好季节。
Xiànzài shì lǚyóu de hǎo jìjié.
Now is a great season for traveling.
neutral
Common phrases with 季节
Synonyms
季 is the bound morpheme ('quarter / season'). It rarely stands alone in spoken Mandarin — use it in compounds (雨季, 旺季, 第一季). 季节 is the full standalone noun a learner can use in any sentence.
时节 is more literary / poetic — 'season' in the sense of 'the time of year for X' (清明时节 'around Qingming time'). 季节 is everyday register; 时节 lifts the sentence to written or classical-flavored Chinese.