探险
tànxiǎn · HSK 7
explore
🧭🗺️ 探 probe + 险 danger = venture into the risky unknown; an expedition
探 means to probe or search out; 险 means danger or peril. Together they describe heading into risky, unmapped territory — an expedition or adventure. tànxiǎn ends in the same -an sound twice.
探 — hand radical 扌 + 罙 (depth/cave)
探 combines the hand radical 扌 with 罙, which depicts a hand reaching into a cave or deep place. The original sense was reaching in to feel for or retrieve something hidden, which extended to 'probe,' 'search,' and 'explore.' 罙 also hints at the sound.
险 — 阝(阜, mound) + 佥 (qiān, all/together)
Originally written 險 in traditional form, this is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 阝 (mound/hill) radical signals the original meaning of steep, dangerous terrain, while 佥 provided the sound. From rugged cliffs the meaning extended metaphorically to 'danger' and 'risk' in general.