Chinese word

童年

Pronunciation

Pinyintóng nián

Meaning

  • nounchildhood

Example

我在乡下度过了童年。wǒ zài xiāng xià dù guò le tóng nián

I spent my childhood in the countryside.

Illustration for 童年 (childhood)

More examples

她常常回想起童年的趣事。tā cháng cháng huí xiáng qǐ tóng nián de qù shì

She often remembers the fun things from her childhood.

Core concept

The first chapter of a person's life, holding the experiences and memories formed before adolescence.

Common phrases

  • 童年经历tóng nián jīng lì

    experiences from childhood

  • 童年往事tóng nián wǎng shì

    events from childhood

Similar words

小时候xiǎo shí hòu: The time when someone was little, especially when recalling past events in conversation.

Definition in Chinese

童年 指人幼年时期，从出生到青春期前的一段时间，包含儿童时期的生活、经历与记忆。tóng nián zhǐ rén yòu nián shí qī cóng chū shēng dào qīng chūn qī qián de yí duàn shí jiān bāo hán ér tóng shí qī de shēng huó jīng lì yǔ jì yì

Word origin

童 (tóng, "child") + 年 (nián, "year") forms a noun for the years when someone is a child.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, 童年 (tóngnián, "childhood") usually presents the past as one remembered life period, especially in stories about family, school, or home.

Opposites

Related words

  • 童年时代tóng nián shí dàichildhood periodnoun

Word lists with this word