昕

xīn

dawn

sun (日) + axe sound (斤) = the first light of dawn

The sun radical anchors the meaning: this is the moment the sun rises at dawn. 斤 mainly lends the xīn sound; the light comes entirely from 日.

日+斤→昕

斤An axe used for choppingPhonetic

日The sunSemantic

昕时，天边出现了一丝亮光。

xīn shí，tiān biān chū xiàn le yī sī liàng guāng。

At dawn, a faint light appeared at the edge of the sky.

他们在昕前就已经出发，赶往远方。

tā men zài xīn qián jiù yǐ jīng chū fā，gǎn wǎng yuǎn fāng。

They had already set out before dawn, heading toward a distant place.