完善
wánshàn · HSK 3
perfect
✨ 完 = complete + 善 = good; together: make complete and good = perfect
完 means complete or finish; 善 means good or virtuous. Combined, 完善 literally reads as complete-and-good, used for something brought to a polished, consummate state.
完 — roof 宀 + yuán 元 (phonetic)
完 is a semantic-phonetic compound: the roof 宀 suggests a house or enclosure, while 元 supplies the sound 'yuán/wán'. Originally it meant a building that was intact or whole, and the sense broadened to 'complete, finish, whole'.
善 — sheep 羊 over 言 (speech), simplified to 善
Originally written with 羊 (sheep, auspicious) above two 言 (speech) elements, depicting auspicious or kind words. The form was simplified to one mouth-like base under 羊. The meaning shifted from 'auspicious speech' to the broader senses 'good, virtuous, skilled at.'