悬崖
xuán yá · HSK 7
precipice
⛰️ 悬 (hang/suspend) + 崖 (cliff) = a cliff so sheer you seem to hang off it
崖 carries the 山 (mountain) radical, marking it as a steep rock face. Pair the hanging sense of 悬 with that mountain rock and you get an overhanging precipice.
悬 — heart radical 心 (bottom) + 县 (xiàn, hang/county)
Originally written 懸, a phono-semantic compound: 心 (heart) gives the meaning of mental hanging or worry, while 縣 (county, originally depicting a head hung from a tree) supplied the sound. The simplified form 悬 keeps 心 below 县. Core sense: to hang, suspend; extended to 'pending, unresolved, anxious.'