半天
bàn tiān · HSK 1
half of the day
🌗 半 (half) + 天 (day/sky) = half a day, or hanging in midair
半 means half; 天 means day or sky. Literally half-a-day, extended to mean a long while. The sky sense gives the separate meaning midair — something suspended halfway up.
半 — 八 (split) + 牛 (ox/cow)
半 originally depicted an ox (牛) being divided in two, shown by the splitting strokes 八 on top. The image of cleaving an ox down the middle gave rise to the meaning 'half' or 'to divide into halves'. The modern sense of 'half' or 'partial' comes directly from this ancient act of splitting.
天 — 一 (one/sky) above 大 (big person)
Originally a pictograph of a person (大) with an emphasized head, representing what is above — the sky or heavens. The top stroke evolved into 一, symbolizing the vast expanse overhead. From 'sky' it extended to mean 'day,' 'heaven,' and 'nature.'