分钟
fēnzhōng · HSK 2
minute
⏱️ 分 = divide + 钟 = clock/bell; a divided clock-unit = minute
分 means to divide or a portion; 钟 originally meant bell, later clock. Together they mark a divided slice of clock time, i.e. one minute. The same 分 appears in 分数 (fraction) and 钟 in 钟表 (timepiece).
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.
钟 — metal radical 钅 + child 童 (phonetic)
Originally a pictograph of a hanging bell, 钟 is now a semantic-phonetic compound: 钅 (metal) gives the meaning, while 童 hints at the sound. It is the simplified form merging two traditional characters, 鐘 (bell, clock) and 鍾 (cup, to concentrate).
fēn zhōng · HSK 1
minute
⏱️ 分 = divide/minute + 钟 = clock; a clock division
分 means to divide or a portion, and by extension a minute (a division of an hour). 钟 means clock or bell. Together 分钟 literally reads as clock-division, the standard word for a minute of time.
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.
钟 — metal radical 钅 + child 童 (phonetic)
Originally a pictograph of a hanging bell, 钟 is now a semantic-phonetic compound: 钅 (metal) gives the meaning, while 童 hints at the sound. It is the simplified form merging two traditional characters, 鐘 (bell, clock) and 鍾 (cup, to concentrate).