兹
zī · HSK 7
now
⏰ zī sounds like zee; a formal word meaning now or this, as in 兹证明 hereby certify
兹 stacks two 幺 (tiny silk-thread components) on top. In classical and formal Chinese it points to now or this very thing, common in set phrases like 兹定 hereby set and 兹证明 hereby certify.
兹 — two 玄 (dark/mysterious) stacked
兹 originally depicted two strands of silk or twisted threads, with the early form showing doubled 玄 components suggesting growth and abundance. It came to mean 'this' or 'now' through phonetic loan, and also carries the sense of 'increase' or 'multiply' from its imagery of accumulating threads.