学生
xué sheng · HSK 1
student
🎒 学 (study) + 生 (person/life) = a person who studies
学 means to study or learn; 生 means person, life, or to be born. Together 学生 literally reads as 'study-person' — the standard word for student. The same 生 shows up in 先生 (mister) and 医生 (doctor).
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'.
生 — sprout 屮 above earth 土
Originally a pictograph showing a young plant sprouting from the ground, with 屮 (a sprout) above 土 (earth). The core meaning is 'to be born, to grow, to live,' which extends to 'raw, unripe, unfamiliar.' The modern form has simplified the sprout shape but preserves the image of new growth emerging from soil.