准许
zhǔn xǔ · HSK 7
to allow
✅ 准 zhǔn = grant/standard + 许 xǔ = permit; together they stack up to formally allow
准 carries the sense of an official standard or approval, and 许 means to permit or promise. Doubling two permit-words gives the formal force of granting permission.
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.'
许 — speech radical 讠 (言) + 午 (noon/phonetic)
许 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 讠 (speech) radical signals a meaning tied to spoken acts, while 午 supplies the sound. Its core senses — to permit, promise, or praise — all stem from things granted through words.