固定
gùdìng · HSK 4
fix
📌 固 = solid + 定 = settle → fixed firmly in place
固 means solid/firm and 定 means to settle or determine. Together 固定 conveys something solidly settled — fastened, fixed, or anchored. Common in contexts like 固定资产 (fixed assets) or 固定下来 (to settle down).
定 — roof 宀 + 正 (correct/upright, phonetic)
Originally written with 宀 (roof) over 正 (upright/correct), suggesting a household settled and orderly under its roof. Over time 正 simplified to 㐬-like form at the bottom, and the meaning shifted from 'settled home' to the broader senses of 'fix, stable, decide.'