减压
jiǎn yā · HSK 7
to relax
😮💨 减 = reduce/subtract + 压 = pressure; together: take the pressure down
减 means to reduce or subtract; 压 means pressure or to press. Stack them and you get reduce-pressure: to de-stress or relax. The 压 char also shows up in 压力 (pressure/stress).
减 — water 氵 + 咸 (xián, all/salty)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The water radical 氵 gives the meaning, originally suggesting water decreasing or draining away, while 咸 supplies the sound (jiǎn shifted from xián). From 'water lessening' the sense broadened to 'reduce, subtract, diminish' in general use.
压 — 厂 (cliff) + 土 (earth) below
压 is the simplified form of 壓. The original character combined 厭 (phonetic, suggesting 'yā') with 土 (earth) to mean pressing or weighing down on the ground. The modern simplified form keeps 厂 (a cliff or overhang) above 土, visually evoking earth being pressed under a heavy mass.