秋 (qiū): autumn, fall, harvest time
秋 (qiū) is a Chinese character meaning “autumn.” Classified as HSK Level 3 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 禾 (structural) and 火 (structural). It ranks #1149 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 秋 the time of year when farmers would burn 禾 crops 火. Its radical form 禾 (grain) appears in many related characters such as 科 (kē, branch of study), 租 (zū, to hire), 称 (chēng, to weigh).
Definitions
- autumn
- fall
- harvest time
Etymology & Origin
ideographicThe time of year when farmers would burn 禾 crops 火
Decomposition: ⿰禾火 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 秋 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 秋
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 秋季noun | qiū jì | autumn |
| 秋千noun | qiū qiān | swing (seat hung from a frame or branch) |
| 荡秋千 | dàng qiū qiān | to swing (on a swing) |
| 千秋noun | qiān qiū | a thousand years |
| 秋叶noun | qiū yè | autumn leaf |
| 秋波noun | qiū bō | autumn ripples |
| 秋田proper-noun | qiū tián | Akita (prefecture and city in Japan) |
| 春秋noun | chūn qiū | spring and autumn |
| 秋葵noun | qiū kuí | okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) |
| 秋日 | qiū rì | autumn |
| 秋收verb | qiū shōu | fall harvest |
| 各有千秋phrase | gè yǒu qiān qiū | each has its own merits (idiom) |
| 秋水adjective | qiū shuǐ | limpid autumn waters (trad. description of girl's beautiful eyes) |
| 金秋noun | jīn qiū | fall |
| 平分秋色phrase | píng fēn qiū sè | to both share the limelight |
秋 appears in 100 compound words: 56 as the first character, 21 as the last, and 23 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 秋 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (26)
to give someone the eye; to cast coquettish glances at someone; to curry favour with someone secretly
to give someone the eye; to cast coquettish glances at someone; to curry favour with someone secretly
Showing 12 of 26 idioms containing 秋.
Example Sentences
写好秋字需要掌握正确的笔画顺序。
xiě hǎo qiū zì xū yāo zhǎng wò zhēng què de bǐ huà shùn xù .
To write the character "秋" correctly, you need to master the proper stroke order.
当颓废遇上永续 DIESEL 2026秋冬的叛逆衣橱呈现派对后凌乱美学
dāng tuí fèi yù shàng yǒng xù D I E S E L 2 0 2 6 qiū dōng de pàn nì yī chú chéng xiàn pài duì hòu líng luàn měi xué
When decadence meets perpetuity, DIESEL's rebellious wardrobe for Fall/Winter 2026 presents a post-party messy aesthetic
台中市长提名 李艳秋:为何蓝闹到现在“结果会像抖动红绳hol...
tái zhōng shì cháng tí míng lǐ yàn qiū : wéi hé lán nào dào xiàn zài jié guǒ huì xiàng dǒu dòng hóng shéng h o l . . .
Taichung Mayor Nomination Li Yanqiu: Why is Lan making a fuss until now, "The result will be like shaking the red rope hol...
...浩退居幕后“忙搬桌椅”! 角头团队新作怀秋、吴念轩双帅登场
. . . hào tuì jū mù hòu máng bān zhuō yǐ ! jiǎo tóu tuán duì xīn zuò huái qiū , wú niàn 轩 shuāng shuài dēng chǎng
... Hao retreated behind the scenes to "move tables and chairs"! The new work of the Jiaotou team Huaiqiu and Wu Nianxuan appeared
LABRUM 2026 秋冬:纺织踏上国际旅程
L A B R U M 2 0 2 6 qiū dōng : fǎng zhī tà shàng guó jì lǚ chéng
LABRUM Fall/Winter 2026: Textiles embark on an international journey
冰鉴春秋:还有人看不到台湾吗
bīng jiàn chūn qiū : hái yǒu rén kàn bù dào tái wān ma
Bing Jian Chunqiu: Is there anyone who can't see Taiwan?
春天和秋天，你更喜欢哪个？
Chūntiān hé qiūtiān, nǐ gèng xǐhuan něige?
Which do you prefer, spring or autumn?
从大阪到秋田的车费是多少？
Cóng Dàbǎn dào Qiūtián de chēfèi shì duōshao?
What is the fare from Osaka to Akita?
今年中秋节是星期一吗？
Jīnnián Zhōngqiūjié shì Xīngqīyī ma?
Is the mid-autumn festival on Monday this year?
秋天到了，树叶也开始落下。
Qiūtiān dào le, shùyè yě kāishǐ luòxià.
Autumn came and the leaves started to fall.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 秋 (qiū) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 秋 and 起?
How many strokes does 秋 have?
What is the radical of 秋?
What are the components of 秋?
What are common words containing 秋?
What characters sound the same as 秋 (qiū)?
Is 秋 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 秋 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.