坦率
tǎn shuài · HSK 7
frank
🖐️ 坦 = flat, level ground + 率 = straightforward; flat ground hides no bumps
坦 (tǎn) means flat or level, as in 平坦 (smooth/even). A flat, level surface hides nothing — so 坦率 is the open, blunt honesty of someone with no hidden bumps.
率 — twisted silk threads with droplets, plus 十
率 originally pictured a net or twisted bundle of silk cords with water droplets shaking off, suggesting something being led or pulled along. From 'leading a rope' it extended to 'lead, command' (shuài) and to 'rate, ratio' (lǜ), as in a fixed proportion. The two readings share this core image of a guiding measure.