估计
gūjì · HSK 5
to estimate; to assess; to calculate; (coll.) to reckon; to think (that ...)
📊 估 = appraise + 计 = calculate → estimate/forecast
估 (gū) means to appraise or assess; 计 (jì) means to count, calculate, or plan. Together they form the act of working out a rough value — to estimate, evaluate, or forecast based on calculation.
计 — speech radical 讠 (言) + ten 十
计 is a semantic compound: 言 'speech/words' plus 十 'ten', suggesting counting or reckoning aloud. The original sense was to calculate or tally numbers, which extended to 'plan, scheme, plot' — any kind of mental reckoning. Modern uses like 计算 (calculate) and 计划 (plan) preserve both threads.