冲击
chōngjí · HSK 6
assault
💥 冲 = rush/charge + 击 = strike/hit
冲击 combines 冲 (rush, dash forward) with 击 (strike, beat). Together they mean a forceful impact — a charging strike or pounding assault, whether literal (waves crashing) or figurative (a shock to the system).
冲 — water radical 氵 + middle 中
Originally written 沖, combining the water radical 氵 with 中 ('middle') as the phonetic. The early sense was water surging or pouring, which extended to 'rush, charge, clash.' In simplified Chinese it merged with 冲 (ice radical 冫 + 中), so today 冲 covers both the 'rinse/rush' meanings and some older 沖 uses.