学位
xuéwèi · HSK 5
academic degree
🎓 学位 = 学 (study) + 位 (position/rank)
学 means to study or learn; 位 means position, rank, or seat. Together they form the rank or position earned through study — an academic degree. Compare 学生 (student) and 地位 (status/position).
学 — hands 𦥑 + roof 冖 + child 子
Originally 學, depicting two hands manipulating something (often interpreted as counting rods or the 爻 trigram symbols) under a roof, with a child 子 below — a child learning under instruction. The simplified form 学 replaces the top with a stylized 龸. Core meaning has always been 'to study, learn'.
位 — person radical 亻 + stand 立
位 combines the person radical 亻 with 立 (to stand), originally depicting a person standing in their proper place at court. It came to mean 'position, rank, or place,' and is now also used as a polite measure word for people.