多样
duōyàng · HSK 4
diverse
🎨 多样 = 多 (many) + 样 (kind/type) → many kinds = diverse
多 means many or much; 样 means sort, kind, or appearance. Together 多样 literally reads as many-kinds, giving the sense of varied, multiform, or diverse. Common in 多样化 (diversification) and 多样性 (diversity).
多 — two 夕 (evening) stacked
多 originally depicted two pieces of meat (夕, a variant of 肉) stacked together, suggesting abundance. Over time it was reanalyzed as two 'evenings' piled up — many evenings meaning many days, hence 'many, much'. The doubling itself conveys quantity.
样 — wood radical 木 + sheep 羊
样 is a phono-semantic compound. The wood radical 木 originally hinted at meaning (a wooden model or sample), while 羊 (sheep) supplies the sound. From 'wooden pattern/template' it broadened to mean 'shape, form, kind, manner'.