分析
fēnxī · HSK 5
analyze
🔬 分 (divide) + 析 (split apart) = break down to analyze
分 means to divide or separate; 析 originally depicted splitting wood with an axe (木 + 斤). Together they mean breaking something into parts to examine it — literally 'divide and split', which is what analysis does.
分 — knife 刀 + eight 八 (split apart)
分 originally depicted a knife (刀) cutting something into two parts, shown by 八 above (which itself meant 'divide'). The core sense is 'to divide' or 'split', from which extended meanings like 'portion', 'minute', and 'part' developed. Pronounced fèn, it carries the sense of an allotted share.