增产
zēng chǎn · HSK 5
to increase production
📈 增 = increase + 产 = produce/output
增 (zēng) means to add or increase; 产 (chǎn) means to produce, give birth to, or output. Together: boost output. 产 also appears in 生产 (produce) and 产品 (product).
增 — earth 土 + 曾 (phonetic, 'layer/repeat')
A semantic-phonetic compound: 土 ('earth') gives the meaning, while 曾 supplies the sound and hints at 'layered, piled up.' The original sense was piling earth higher and higher, which generalized to 'increase, add to.' 曾 itself depicts a tiered steamer, reinforcing the idea of stacking.
产 — 产 = 立 (stand) + 厂 (cliff/factory)
Originally written 產, depicting birth or production, with 生 (to be born/grow) as the semantic element and 彥 reduced as phonetic. The simplified form 产 keeps the top portion only. Its core meaning shifted from 'giving birth' to broader senses of 'produce, output, property.'