感想
gǎnxiǎng · HSK 5
reflections
💭 感 (feel) + 想 (think) = feelings + thoughts → reflections
感 means to feel/sense and 想 means to think or ponder. Together they form 感想: the feelings and thoughts that arise after an experience — your reflections or impressions on something.
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.
想 — heart 心 + 相 (xiāng, phonetic)
想 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The heart radical 心 at the bottom carries the meaning, since classical Chinese located thought and feeling in the heart. The top component 相 (xiāng) supplies the sound, and over time the character settled into the senses 'to think,' 'to want,' and 'to miss.'