光
guāng · HSK 3
light
☀️ 光 tops 兒 (legs) with 火 (fire) — fire carried overhead casts light
Oracle-bone 光 shows a person with flames above the head, the source of brightness. Extends from literal light/rays to figurative honor or glory, as in 光荣 (glory) and 时光 (time, lit. light-passage).
光 — fire 火 (top) + person 儿 (bottom)
Originally a pictograph of a person with fire above their head, depicting a torchbearer or the radiance from a flame. The character evolved to mean 'light' or 'brightness' in general, and by extension 'glory' and 'to shine.' The modern top component is a stylized form of 火 (fire).