凸显
túxiǎn · HSK 7
to make prominent or effective by contrast
🔆 凸 (convex bulge) + 显 (show) = something bulges out and shows = made prominent
凸 is a pictograph of a shape sticking out (its strokes literally protrude). Pair it with 显 (to display) and you get túxiǎn: to make a thing stand out by contrast, the way a raised bump catches light against a flat surface.
凸 — pictograph of a convex/protruding shape
凸 is a modern pictographic character depicting a shape that protrudes or bulges outward, with the central stroke rising above the surrounding outline. It has no traditional radical-phonetic structure; the form itself visually conveys the meaning 'convex' or 'sticking out.' It pairs with its mirror 凹 ('concave').
显 — sun 日 + head/page 頁 (simplified from 顯)
Originally 顯, showing a head 頁 looking at silk threads under the sun 日, suggesting things made visible or apparent. The meaning extended from 'clearly seen' to 'manifest, evident, prominent.' Simplified to 显 by reducing the silk-and-head element to a small mark beneath 日.