山岭
shān lǐng · HSK 7
ridge
⛰️ 山岭 = 山 mountain + 岭 ridge/range = a mountain ridge
Both characters carry the 山 (mountain) element: 山 is the bare mountain, and 岭 adds 山 atop 令 (a phonetic giving the lǐng sound). Stacked mountains spell out a long ridge line.
山 — pictograph of three mountain peaks
山 is one of the oldest pictographs in Chinese, originally drawn in oracle bone script as three pointed peaks rising from a baseline. The form was simplified over time into the modern three vertical strokes on a base. Its meaning has stayed remarkably stable: 'mountain' or 'hill'.