影响
yǐngxiǎng · HSK 2
influence
影 = shadow + 响 = sound/echo; a shadow's echo = influence
影 means shadow and 响 means sound or echo. Together, the shadow and echo something casts on its surroundings = its influence. Like how a leader's actions echo through a group.
响 — mouth 口 + village/hometown 乡
Originally written 響, combining 鄉 (village, phonetic) with 音 (sound), suggesting sound echoing through a hometown valley. The simplified form 响 replaces 音 with 口 (mouth) as a semantic hint and 乡 as the phonetic. It means sound, echo, or to make noise.