准备
zhǔnbèi · HSK 1
get ready
🎒 准 = accurate + 备 = equip; accurate equipment = ready to go
准 carries the sense of standard/accurate, 备 means to equip or provide. Together they form the verb for getting properly outfitted before an event — preparation as having the right gear lined up.
准 — ice radical 冫 + falcon 隹
Originally written 準, meaning a water level used to check flatness, hence 'standard' or 'level.' The simplified form 准 was historically a variant used for 'permit' or 'approve.' Modern Chinese merged both senses into 准, covering 'accurate,' 'standard,' and 'to allow.'