感动
gǎndòng · HSK 2
be moved
💖 感 = feel + 动 = move: feeling that moves you
感动 literally decomposes as 感 (gǎn, feel/sense) + 动 (dòng, move). The compound means emotionally moved or touched — your feelings are set in motion by something heartfelt.
感 — heart 心 + 咸 (xián, phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The heart radical 心 at the bottom carries the meaning of feeling or emotion, while 咸 supplies the sound. Together 感 conveys being moved in the heart, hence 'to feel,' 'sense,' or 'be affected by' something.
动 — force 力 + heavy/重 (simplified from 動)
The traditional form 動 combines 重 (heavy) as the phonetic with 力 (force/strength) as the semantic, suggesting the effort needed to move something heavy. The simplified form 动 replaces 重 with 云, keeping 力 to convey action and motion.