(yáng guāng) - sunshine, sunlight in Mandarin
yángguāngTraditional: 陽光
Translation
sunshine, sunlight
Word origin
A compound of 阳 (yáng, the sun, the bright side of a hill) and 光 (guāng, light). The traditional form 陽 shows 阝(mound) with 昜, a sun rising over a horizon.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 阳 (yáng, sun) + 光 (guāng, light)
Stroke order
阳
光
Examples
。
The sunshine is lovely today.
。
Sunlight comes in through the window.
。
She likes reading in the sun.
。
This room gets no sunlight at all.
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He is a very sunny, cheerful boy.
阳光 (yáng guāng) is sunshine, the light of the sun itself rather than the star in the sky. 太阳 is the object; 阳光 is what pours out of it and lands on your book, your window sill, your washing line.
It is a plain everyday noun. You sit 在阳光下 (under the sunshine), a room 有阳光 or has none, and a morning can be described simply as 阳光很好. Mandarin also uses it as an adjective for people: 一个很阳光的男孩 is a cheerful, open, uncomplicated lad, and that sense is common in modern speech.
The trap for an English speaker is reaching for 太阳 every time. 太阳很好 sounds like you are complimenting the star; what you mean is 阳光很好. Keep the pair straight: 太阳 rises and sets, 阳光 shines on things.
Where this fits
Used in
Stories
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阳光: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "阳光" (sunshine, sunlight): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 46.