价值观
jiàzhíguān · HSK 7
values
⚖️ 价值 (value/worth) + 观 (view/outlook) = your view of what has worth
价 = price, 值 = worth, together 价值 = value. Add 观 (a viewpoint or outlook, same 观 as in 世界观 worldview) and you get 价值观: the set of views that define what someone treasures.
价 — person radical 亻 + 介 (jiè)
价 is the simplified form of 價. The traditional form combines 亻 (person) with 賈 (merchant), pointing to the act of pricing goods. In the simplified version, 賈 was replaced by the phonetic 介, which hints at the 'jià' reading while keeping the 'person' radical for the trading sense.
值 — person radical 亻 + 直 (straight/upright)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The person radical 亻 gives the meaning, while 直 (straight, upright) supplies the sound zhí. Originally referring to a person standing in for duty or watch, it extended to mean 'worth,' 'value,' and 'to be on duty.'