岁
suì
classifier for years (of age)
year; year (of crop harvests)
mountain (山) + dusk (夕) = years passing
Each year is marked by seasons cycling through — mountains standing witness as evening after evening passes. In practice, 夕 is likely phonetic here; the full character's meaning as a year-counter grew from older forms tied to harvests and time's passage.
Words with 岁
周岁
zhōu suì
one full year (e.g. on child's first birthday)
今岁
jīn suì
(literary) this year
卒岁
zú suì
(literary) to get through the year
去岁
qù suì
last year
友谊万岁
yǒu yì wàn suì
see 友誼地久天長|友谊地久天长[You3 yi4 di4 jiu3 tian1 chang2]
嗣岁
sì suì
the following year
压岁钱
yā suì qián
money given to children as a gift on Chinese New Year's Eve
太岁
tài suì
archaic name for the planet Jupiter 木星[Mu4 xing1]
守岁
shǒu suì
to see in the New Year
安太岁
ān tài suì
to propitiate the god of the current year, Tai Sui 太歲|太岁[Tai4 sui4]
实岁
shí suì
one's age (calculated as years from birth)
峥嵘岁月
zhēng róng suì yuè
eventful years (idiom)