创意
chuàngyì · HSK 6
new idea
💡 创 (create) + 意 (idea/meaning) = creative idea
创 means to create or originate; 意 means idea, meaning, or intention. Together 创意 literally reads create-idea, i.e. a fresh concept or creativity. Same 创 as 创造 (create) and 创新 (innovate).
创 — 刀 knife radical 刂 + 仓 cang (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 刂 (knife) gives the meaning of cutting or wounding, while 仓 supplies the sound. The original sense was 'to wound' or 'gash made by a blade,' which extended to 'to begin' or 'create' — the idea of cutting something new into being.