天气
tiānqì · HSK 1
weather
☀️🌧️ 天 (sky) + 气 (air/qi) = sky-air = weather
天 means sky/heaven and 气 means air or vital energy (qi). Together, sky-air literally describes the state of the atmosphere — the weather. Same 气 appears in 空气 (air) and 气候 (climate).
天 — 一 (one/sky) above 大 (big person)
Originally a pictograph of a person (大) with an emphasized head, representing what is above — the sky or heavens. The top stroke evolved into 一, symbolizing the vast expanse overhead. From 'sky' it extended to mean 'day,' 'heaven,' and 'nature.'
气 — steam/vapor radical 气
Originally a pictograph of rising vapor or clouds drifting in the sky, depicting curling streams of air. The character came to mean breath, air, and by extension vital energy or 'qi.' The simplified form 气 keeps the original outline; the traditional 氣 added 米 (rice) to suggest steam rising from cooking grain.