千万
qiānwàn · HSK 3
absolutely
千 (thousand) + 万 (ten thousand) = a huge number; used as 'absolutely, by all means'
Literally 'thousand-ten-thousand' — stacking the two biggest round numbers turns into an intensifier. Common in warnings like 千万不要 (absolutely do not). Same pattern as English 'a thousand times no'.
千 — person 人 with horizontal stroke
Originally derived from the character 人 (person) with an added horizontal stroke, used as a numerical marker meaning 'thousand.' Some scholars link the stroke to a tally mark indicating a large count. Over time it became the standard numeral for 1000.
万 — top 一 + 𠃌 (hook) over 丿
Originally a pictograph of a scorpion, used in oracle bone script. It was borrowed phonetically to mean 'ten thousand' and the original scorpion sense was lost. The traditional form 萬 shows the scorpion more clearly; 万 is a simplified variant long used as a common shorthand.