层出不穷
céng chū bù qióng · HSK 7
more and more emerge
🐇🐇 layers come out, not exhausted — endless waves keep arriving
层 (layer) + 出 (come out) + 不 (not) + 穷 (exhausted/poor). Layer after layer emerges without end. Like rabbits multiplying — each generation produces the next before you can count them all.
层 — corpse 尸 + cloud 云 (simplified from 曾)
层 is the simplified form of 層. The original character combines 尸 (a roof/dwelling) with 曾 (céng), which provides the sound and originally depicted stacked layers of a steamer. Together they suggested a multi-storied building, extending to mean 'layer,' 'tier,' or 'story.'
出 — foot 止 emerging from enclosure 凵
出 is a pictograph showing a foot or plant stepping out of a hollow or enclosure, depicting the act of going forth. The original sense of 'coming out' or 'emerging' has remained stable since oracle bone script. It now broadly means 'to exit, go out, or produce.'
不 — single pictograph; bird flying upward
Originally a pictograph in oracle bone script, traditionally interpreted as a bird flying up toward the sky and unable to come down, suggesting negation or refusal. Over time it became the standard negation word in Chinese, used before verbs and adjectives to mean 'not'.
穷 — cave radical 穴 + body 身
Originally written 竆, showing a person (身) bent inside a cave (穴), suggesting being trapped or at the end of one's resources. The meaning extended from 'exhausted' or 'at the limit' to 'poor' or 'impoverished'. The modern simplified form 穷 replaces 身 with 力 (strength).