学分
xuéfēn · HSK 4
credit
🎓 学分 = 学 (study) + 分 (portion/share) → a share of study = credit
学 means study or learning; 分 means to divide or a portion. Together they name a divided portion of study — the unit schools use to count completed coursework, i.e. course credits or semester hours.
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'.
分 — knife 刀 + eight 八 (split apart)
分 originally depicted a knife (刀) cutting something into two parts, shown by 八 above (which itself meant 'divide'). The core sense is 'to divide' or 'split', from which extended meanings like 'portion', 'minute', and 'part' developed. Pronounced fèn, it carries the sense of an allotted share.