年薪
nián xīn · HSK 7
annual salary
💰📅 年薪 = 年 (year) + 薪 (salary/wages) = yearly pay
年 — grain 禾 over person 人 (oracle bone)
Originally a pictograph of a person carrying a bundle of harvested grain on their back, representing the yearly grain harvest. Because harvests came once a year, the character shifted from meaning 'harvest' to meaning 'year.' The modern form 年 obscures the original 禾 (grain) + 人 (person) structure.