下次
xià cì · HSK 1
next time
⏭️ 下 = next/below + 次 = time/occurrence
下 means 'next' or 'below' (think of what comes 'down' the line), and 次 means 'occurrence' or 'time' as in a countable instance. Together: the next occurrence.
下 — horizontal line 一 + mark below
下 is an indicative character: a long horizontal line represents a reference level, and a shorter stroke placed beneath it points to the area below. The original meaning 'below, down' comes directly from this spatial diagram, and it later extended to verbs like 'descend' and 'lower'.
次 — 冫 ice + 欠 yawn/lack
Originally depicted a person (欠) sighing or hesitating, with 二 (later written 冫) marking repetition or a secondary position. The core sense developed from 'second in order' or 'next' into related meanings like 'sequence,' 'time/occurrence,' and 'inferior quality.'