个案
gèàn · HSK 7
case (in law/etc.)
⚖️ 个 = individual + 案 = case/file; one specific case
个 means individual or single (the common measure word), and 案 means case, file, or record. Together 个案 is one individual case — a single instance, often used in legal or administrative contexts.
个 — person 人 over enclosure-like component (simplified from 個)
个 is the simplified form of 個, originally a measure word for bamboo stalks. The traditional form combines 人 (person) with 固 (firm, phonetic). Over time it became the most common general-purpose measure word in Chinese, used for people and many objects without a specific classifier.