天线
tiān xiàn · HSK 7
antenna
📡 天线 = 天 sky + 线 line/wire = the wire reaching to the sky = antenna
Literally a sky-line: 天 (tiān, sky/heaven) plus 线 (xiàn, thread/wire). The figurative sense — a connection to high officials — extends the same idea: a private line running up to the top.
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.'
线 — silk radical 纟 + 戋 (jiān, phonetic)
线 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The silk radical 纟 signals the meaning 'thread' or 'string,' while 戋 hints at the sound. Originally referring to silk thread, its meaning broadened to any thin line, wire, or route. The traditional form is 線.