Meaning of 太阳
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- sun
- sunlight; sunshine
- temple (on the side of the human head) (abbr. for 太陽穴|太阳穴[tai4 yang2 xue2])
How to use 太阳
太阳 is the everyday word for the sun, and it also means sunshine, as in sitting in the sun. People often say 晒太阳 (shài tàiyáng) for sunbathing or soaking up sunlight. Example: 今天太阳很大。(Jīntiān tàiyáng hěn dà.) The sun is strong today.
太 (tài) means extremely or supreme, and 阳 (yáng) is the bright, sunny side in yin and yang. Put them together and you get the supreme source of light: the sun.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes mix up 太阳 (sun) with 阳光 (yángguāng, sunshine as light). You say 太阳出来了 for the sun coming out, but 阳光很好 for nice sunlight. Also note that in casual speech the second syllable is often said lightly, as tàiyang.
太阳 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
太 tài · highest · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
阳 yáng · the male principle · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 太阳.
| 太太 | tàitai | married woman; Mrs. |
| 不太 | bù tài | |
| 阳光 | yángguāng | sunshine; (of personality) upbeat; energetic |
| 老太太 | lǎotàitai | elderly lady (respectful); esteemed mother |
| 阳台 | yángtái | balcony; porch |
| 太空 | tàikōng | outer space |
| 太阳能 | tàiyángnéng | solar energy |
| 太平 | tàipíng | peace and security |
| 晒太阳 | shài tàiyáng | to be in the sun (getting warm or sunbathing etc); to put sth in the sun (e.g. to dry it) |
| 阳性 | yángxìng | positive; masculine |
| 太极 | tàijí | the Absolute or Supreme Ultimate, the source of all things according to some interpretatio |
| 太极拳 | tàijíquán | shadowboxing or Taiji, T'aichi or T'aichichuan; traditional form of physical exercise or r |
Questions about 太阳
What does 太阳 mean?
太阳 (tàiyáng) means "sun; sunlight; sunshine" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 太阳?
太阳 is made of 2 characters: 太 (4 strokes), 阳 (6 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 太阳 an HSK word?
Yes. 太阳 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 太阳 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 太阳 is written 太陽.
How do you say sunrise and sunset in Chinese?
Sunrise is 日出 (rìchū) and sunset is 日落 (rìluò). In everyday speech you can also say 太阳出来了 (the sun has come up) and 太阳下山了 (the sun has gone down).
Why does 太阳 also mean the temple of the head?
It is short for 太阳穴 (tàiyángxué), the name of the spot on the side of your head. Context makes it clear, for example 我太阳穴疼 means my temples hurt.