两栖
liǎng qī · HSK 7
amphibious
🐸 两 = two + 栖 (perch/dwell): a creature that dwells in two places, land and water
栖 means to perch or dwell, so 两栖 literally reads as dual-dwelling. A frog lives in two realms, hence amphibious; figuratively it extends to a person who works two fields, dual-talented.
两 — two halves under 一, mirrored 入 components inside 冂
两 originally depicted a balance scale or a pair of matched objects, symbolizing duality and equality. The two inner components represent the two equal sides being weighed or paired. Over time it came to mean 'two' (especially for paired things) and also a traditional unit of weight (tael).