可悲
kě bēi · HSK 7
lamentable
😢 可 (-able, worthy of) + 悲 (sorrow, grief) = worthy-of-sorrow = lamentable
可 marks something as deserving or -able, and 悲 is grief or sorrow. Together they label a thing that earns pity: lamentable. The 可 here is the same worthy-of sense in 可怕 (worthy of fear = scary) and 可爱 (worthy of love = cute).
可 — mouth 口 + breath marker 丁 (modified)
可 originally depicted a mouth (口) with a curved stroke suggesting exhaled breath or speech, conveying approval or assent. From this came the meaning 'to permit' or 'can,' as granting permission was expressed verbally. Today it broadly means 'may,' 'can,' or 'approve.'