思路
sī lù · HSK 7
train of thought
🛣️ 思 think + 路 road = the road your thinking takes; a train of thought
思 (sī) means think or thought; 路 (lù) means road or path. Together they name the route reasoning follows from start to conclusion, hence train of thought or line of reasoning.
路 — foot 足 + each 各 (phonetic)
路 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The foot radical 足 on the left signals meaning related to walking or travel, while 各 on the right hints at the ancient pronunciation. Originally referring to a road traveled on foot, it broadened to mean 'road, path, route' in general.