利率
lìlù · HSK 7
interest rate
💰📈 利 (profit) + 率 (rate) = profit-rate, the interest rate a bank pays or charges
利 carries the sense of profit or benefit; 率 means a rate or ratio. Stuck together they name the rate at which money earns interest. The 禾 (grain) in 利 hints at a harvest yield — money growing like a crop.
利 — grain 禾 + knife 刂
Originally a pictograph showing a knife (刂) cutting grain (禾), depicting harvest. From the idea of a sharp blade reaping crops, it extended to mean 'sharp,' then 'benefit,' 'profit,' or 'advantage' — the gain that comes from a successful harvest.
率 — twisted silk threads with droplets, plus 十
率 originally pictured a net or twisted bundle of silk cords with water droplets shaking off, suggesting something being led or pulled along. From 'leading a rope' it extended to 'lead, command' (shuài) and to 'rate, ratio' (lǜ), as in a fixed proportion. The two readings share this core image of a guiding measure.