卫生间
wèi shēng jiān · HSK 3
bathroom
🚽 卫生间 = guard + life + room → hygiene room
卫 (guard/protect) + 生 (life/health) together mean hygiene or sanitation; 间 means room or space. So 卫生间 literally reads as the hygiene room — the standard polite word for bathroom or toilet.
生 — sprout 屮 above earth 土
Originally a pictograph showing a young plant sprouting from the ground, with 屮 (a sprout) above 土 (earth). The core meaning is 'to be born, to grow, to live,' which extends to 'raw, unripe, unfamiliar.' The modern form has simplified the sprout shape but preserves the image of new growth emerging from soil.
间 — gate 門 + sun 日 (originally moon 月)
Originally written 閒, showing the moon 月 shining through a gate 門 — the gap or space between the doors. The moon was later replaced by 日 (sun), giving the modern 间. The core meaning 'space/interval between' extended to time intervals, rooms, and the measure word for buildings.