供暖
gōngnuǎn · HSK 7
Heating
🔥 供暖 = 供 (supply) + 暖 (warm) — supplying warmth
供 means to provide or supply; 暖 means warm. Together: providing warmth, i.e. heating. Same 供 as in 供应 (supply) and 提供 (provide); same 暖 as in 暖气 (warm air, radiator).
供 — person radical 亻 + 共 (together)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 亻 (person) gives the meaning of human action while 共 (together, gōng) supplies the sound. Originally meaning to present or offer jointly, it extended to 'supply, provide.' A second reading gòng means to make an offering or confess.
暖 — sun radical 日 + 爰 (yuán, phonetic)
暖 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 日 'sun' radical carries the meaning of warmth, while 爰 supplies the sound (historically close to 'nuǎn'). It originally described the warmth of sunlight and broadened to mean 'warm' in general — both physical heat and figurative warmth like kindness.