元旦
Yuán dàn · HSK 5
New Year's Day
🎆 元 = first/origin + 旦 = dawn (sun 日 over horizon 一)
元 means first or origin; 旦 is a pictograph of the sun (日) rising above the horizon line (一), meaning dawn or daybreak. Together: the first dawn of the year — New Year's Day.
元 — 二 (two) + 兒 variant 儿 (legs/person)
元 originally depicted a person with the head emphasized on top, meaning 'head' or 'origin'. From this came the extended senses of 'first', 'beginning', and 'primary'. It was later borrowed as the name of the Yuan dynasty and the modern Chinese currency unit.