出山
chū shān · HSK 7
to come out of obscurity to a government job
🏔️👔 出 (out) + 山 (mountain) = leave the mountain to lead
A hermit steps out from the mountains to take office. The two characters literally say exit-mountain, capturing the moment someone leaves seclusion and enters public life as a leader.
出 — foot 止 emerging from enclosure 凵
出 is a pictograph showing a foot or plant stepping out of a hollow or enclosure, depicting the act of going forth. The original sense of 'coming out' or 'emerging' has remained stable since oracle bone script. It now broadly means 'to exit, go out, or produce.'
山 — pictograph of three mountain peaks
山 is one of the oldest pictographs in Chinese, originally drawn in oracle bone script as three pointed peaks rising from a baseline. The form was simplified over time into the modern three vertical strokes on a base. Its meaning has stayed remarkably stable: 'mountain' or 'hill'.