充分
chōngfèn · HSK 4
ample
🥛 充分 = 充 (fill) + 分 (portion) — a fully filled portion
充 means to fill or charge (as in 充电 charge a battery); 分 is a portion or part. Together: a portion filled to the brim — ample, abundant, fully sufficient.
充 — 育 (raise/grow) on top of 儿 (legs/person)
Originally depicted a person walking forward, suggesting movement and advancement. The form combines a growth element above with a person below, evoking the sense of being filled up or made full as one grows. Over time, the meaning shifted from 'go forward' to 'fill, fulfill, abundant'.
分 — knife 刀 + eight 八 (split apart)
分 originally depicted a knife (刀) cutting something into two parts, shown by 八 above (which itself meant 'divide'). The core sense is 'to divide' or 'split', from which extended meanings like 'portion', 'minute', and 'part' developed. Pronounced fèn, it carries the sense of an allotted share.