太阳能
tài yáng néng · HSK 6
energy
☀️🔋 太 great + 阳 sun + 能 energy = the great sun's energy
Each character spells it out literally: 太 means great or supreme, 阳 means sun, and 能 means energy or ability. Together they form a transparent compound — the supreme power of the sun.
太 — 大 'big' + extra dot 丶
太 originally derived from 大 ('big, person with arms outstretched') with an added stroke to mean 'greatest' or 'too much'. The extra dot intensifies 大, signaling something beyond merely big. Over time it came to mean 'very', 'too', or 'highest'.
能 — 厶 (head) + 月 (body/flesh) + 匕匕 (legs)
Originally a pictograph of a bear, showing its head, body, and powerful legs. Because bears were seen as strong and capable, the character was borrowed to mean 'ability' or 'can'. A new character 熊 (with the fire radical 灬) was later created for 'bear'.