情报
qíngbào · HSK 7
intelligence
🕵️ 情 (situation/info) + 报 (report) = a situation-report, i.e. intelligence
情报 means intelligence or a tip-off: news gathered about a situation. The 报 here is the same report found in 报告 (report) and 报纸 (newspaper), so read it as the report of a situation. The poop gloss is a data error; ignore it.
情 — heart radical 忄 + 青 (qīng)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The heart radical 忄 signals that the meaning involves feelings or inner states, while 青 supplies the sound 'qing'. Originally referring to genuine feelings or emotion arising from the heart, 情 expanded to cover sentiment, affection, and circumstances or situations more broadly.
报 — hand 扌 (报) + 卩 seal/kneeling figure
Originally 報 depicted a hand pressing a kneeling criminal under a manacle (幸 + 卩 + 又), meaning 'to judge' or 'requite a crime.' From 'repay/requite' it broadened to 'respond, report, announce.' The simplified form 报 keeps the hand 扌 and 卩 but drops the manacle element.