冒险
màoxiǎn · HSK 7
take risks/chances
🎲 冒险 = 冒 (brave/venture out) + 险 (danger) — to brave the danger, take a chance
冒 means to risk or venture out despite something; 险 means danger or peril. Put together they mean to take chances or go on a risky adventure. The roll of 🎲 dice captures the gamble.
冒 — top 冃 (cloth/cover) + 目 (eye)
Originally a pictograph showing a cloth or cap covering the eyes, suggesting something pulled down over the head. From this came the meaning 'to cover,' then by extension 'to risk' or 'brave through' (as in pushing forward despite obstacles). The top component 冃 is often miswritten as 日, but it depicts a covering, not the sun.
险 — 阝(阜, mound) + 佥 (qiān, all/together)
Originally written 險 in traditional form, this is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 阝 (mound/hill) radical signals the original meaning of steep, dangerous terrain, while 佥 provided the sound. From rugged cliffs the meaning extended metaphorically to 'danger' and 'risk' in general.