后勤
hoù qín · HSK 7
logistics
📦 后勤 = 后 (rear/behind) + 勤 (diligent duty) = the behind-the-scenes duties that keep things running
后 — 厂 cliff + 一 + 口 mouth
Originally depicted a ruler or sovereign issuing commands, showing a figure with a mouth giving orders. It came to mean 'queen' or 'empress.' In modern simplified Chinese, 后 also absorbed the meaning 'behind/after' from the traditional character 後, so context decides which sense applies.