卓越
zhuóyuè · HSK 7
brilliant
🏆 卓 (lofty, eminent) + 越 (surpass, exceed) = standing tall above the rest
越 — 走 (run) + 戉 (axe, phonetic)
Originally a phono-semantic compound: 走 ('to run, go') gives the meaning of crossing or passing over, while 戉 (an ancient axe) supplies the sound. From 'to stride across' it extended to 'exceed, surpass,' and was later borrowed as the name of the ancient Yue state and people in southern China.