反省
fǎnxǐng · HSK 7
to reflect upon oneself; to examine one's conscience
🪞 反 (reverse) + 省 (examine) = turn examination back on yourself
fǎn means to flip or reverse; xǐng means to examine or check. Together they mean turning your scrutiny inward — reversing the lens so you question your own actions and motives.
反 — hand 又 under cliff 厂
Originally a pictograph of a hand (又) turning something over against a cliff or slope (厂), depicting the action of flipping or reversing. From this came the core meaning 'to turn over,' which extended to 'opposite,' 'contrary,' and 'rebel against.' The character is purely semantic, with no phonetic component.
省 — 少 (shǎo) on top + 目 (eye) below
Originally a compound of 少 'small/few' over 目 'eye', suggesting narrowed eyes peering closely — hence the reading xǐng meaning 'to examine, inspect, reflect'. The sense of 'reduce/save' and the administrative meaning 'province' (as in 省份) developed later from the idea of cutting down or overseeing a region.