平稳
píng wěn · HSK 4
steady
🛬 平 (flat) + 稳 (steady) = flat-and-steady = smooth
平 means flat or level; 稳 means steady or stable. Together they describe motion or progress that is even and without jolts — a plane's smooth landing, a steady heartbeat, a calm market.
平 — horizontal stroke 一 + 干 with two dots 八
平 originally depicted a balance or scale being level, suggesting evenness. The horizontal lines and symmetrical dots evoke a flat, balanced surface. Over time it extended from 'level/flat' to broader senses like 'calm,' 'peaceful,' and 'ordinary.'
稳 — grain 禾 + claw 爫 + work 工 + heart 心 (爫+工+心 = 急/隐 phonetic 㥯)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The grain radical 禾 on the left suggests grain being steady and balanced on a scale, while the right side 㥯 (claw over work over heart) supplies the sound. Originally written 穩, it conveyed the idea of grain settled firmly, extended to mean 'stable, steady, calm.'