宝藏
bǎo zàng · HSK 7
precious deposits
💎⛏️ 宝 (treasure) + 藏 (hidden/stored) = precious deposits stored underground
The first character 宝 means treasure or precious. The second 藏 means to hide or store (same character in 西藏 Tibet, the hidden land). Together: precious things stored away — mineral deposits or Buddhist sacred teachings.
宝 — roof 宀 + jade 玉 (simplified from 寶)
Originally written 寶, showing a roof 宀 over jade 玉, a jar 缶, and shell 貝 (money) — valuables kept safely at home. The simplified form 宝 keeps just the roof and jade, preserving the core idea of 'treasure.' It now means treasure, precious, or valuable.
藏 — grass radical 艹 + 臧 (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The grass radical 艹 on top suggests plants or vegetation used for concealment, while 臧 below provides the sound. Originally meant to hide or conceal something in the grass, later extended to mean 'store' or 'collect,' and when read 'zàng' it means a treasury or storehouse.