好事
hǎo shì , hào shì · HSK 2
action
👍 好 = good + 事 = matter/affair → a good deed (or sarcastically, 'nice work')
好 (hǎo) means good; 事 (shì) means matter or affair. Together: a good deed. With second tone hào shì, it shifts to 'fond of meddling' or sarcastic 'a fine mess' — same characters, attitude flips with the tone.
好 — woman 女 + child 子
好 is an associative compound showing a woman 女 beside a child 子, depicting a mother with her baby. From this image of maternal affection it came to mean 'good, fine, pleasing.' The reading hǎo means 'good'; read hào it means 'to like.'
事 — hand 又 holding a banner/tablet on a pole
Originally a pictograph of a hand (又) grasping a pole or ceremonial banner used by an official, depicting the act of conducting court business. From this it came to mean 'affair, matter, business, service.' It shares an ancient origin with 史 (scribe) and 吏 (official).