宽恕
kuān shù · HSK 7
to forgive
🕊️ 宽 broad + 恕 pardon = a broad pardon, to forgive
宽 means wide or broad and 恕 means to pardon or excuse. Together they mean making your pardon broad enough to cover the wrong, hence to forgive. The kuān part also shows up in 宽 = wide.
宽 — roof 宀 + 萈 (phonetic, originally a horned goat)
Originally written with 宀 'roof' over 萈, a horned mountain goat, suggesting a spacious dwelling large enough to house such an animal. The 萈 element also lent its sound. Over time the form simplified to today's 宽, and the meaning shifted from 'spacious house' to the general sense of 'wide, broad, lenient'.