出道
chū dào · HSK 7
to make one's first public performance
🎤🌟 chū = exit + dào = path — stepping out onto the public path for the first time
The character 出 means 'to go out' and 道 means 'road' or 'way.' Together they describe someone who exits onto the stage road — debuting, launching a career by stepping forward into the spotlight.
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.'
道 — 辶 (walk) + 首 (head)
Originally a compound of 辶 'walk/movement' and 首 'head', depicting a path one walks while looking ahead. The literal sense 'road, way' extended metaphorically to 'method, doctrine, the Way (Dao)'. This philosophical meaning became central in Daoist and Confucian thought.