宫
gōng · HSK 6
palace
🏯 宀 (roof) over 吕 (linked rooms) = grand roofed building, a palace
The radical 宀 marks a roofed structure; 吕 below shows two connected chambers, giving the sense of a large multi-room residence. Originally any big dwelling, it narrowed to royal palaces and temples.
宫 — roof 宀 + two mouths 吕 (linked rooms)
Originally a pictograph of a building with multiple connected rooms under a roof, showing 宀 (roof) above 吕 (depicting joined chambers). It first meant any large dwelling, then narrowed over time to specifically mean a palace or temple. The reading gōng has stayed stable since early Chinese.