秋
autumn; fall
qiū
What does 秋 mean?
秋 (qiū) means 'autumn / fall.' On its own it is mostly literary or used in compounds (秋天 autumn, 秋季 autumn season, 中秋 Mid-Autumn, 春秋 spring and autumn / the seasons of a year / a historical era). In daily conversation, native speakers almost always say 秋天 (qiūtiān) for 'autumn,' just as they say 春天, 夏天, 冬天.
Culturally, 秋 is associated with harvest, cooling weather, falling leaves, and the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节, when families gather to eat mooncakes under the full moon). It also carries a poetic flavor of melancholy in classical literature — 秋风 (qiūfēng, autumn wind) is a stock image of loneliness.
Note: The bare character 秋 is more literary or used in compounds. In everyday speech, people say 秋天 (qiūtiān) for 'autumn.' Use 秋 in fixed expressions and written contexts.
Character breakdown
autumn (grain 禾 + fire 火 — grain ripening in the heat)
Memory hook: 禾 (grain) + 火 (fire) — grain ripens golden under the autumn sun.
Measure word for 秋
Example sentences
我最喜欢秋天。
Wǒ zuì xǐhuan qiūtiān.
I like autumn the most.
spoken
中秋节是中国的传统节日。
Zhōngqiū Jié shì Zhōngguó de chuántǒng jiérì.
Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday.
neutral
北京的秋天很美。
Běijīng de qiūtiān hěn měi.
Autumn in Beijing is beautiful.
neutral
一年有四个季节：春、夏、秋、冬。
Yì nián yǒu sì gè jìjié: chūn, xià, qiū, dōng.
There are four seasons in a year: spring, summer, autumn, winter.
written
Common phrases with 秋
Synonyms
Don't confuse 秋 with
FAQ
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