无线网
wú xiàn wǎng · HSK 4
WiFi
📶 无线网 = no + wire + net
无 means none/without, 线 means wire/thread, 网 means net. Together: a network without wires — wireless network or WiFi.
无 — top 一 + 林-like middle + fire radical 灬 below
Originally a pictograph of a person dancing while holding ornaments or tassels, meaning 'to dance' — the ancestor of 舞. It was borrowed phonetically to write the negative 'not have / without,' and the dance meaning was reassigned to 舞 with an added foot element. The simplified form 无 comes from an ancient variant.
线 — silk radical 纟 + 戋 (jiān, phonetic)
线 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The silk radical 纟 signals the meaning 'thread' or 'string,' while 戋 hints at the sound. Originally referring to silk thread, its meaning broadened to any thin line, wire, or route. The traditional form is 線.
网 — net radical 冂 + 亡 (phonetic)
網 (simplified 网) originally pictured a hunting or fishing net, with crossed mesh lines inside a frame. The modern simplified form 网 keeps that net shape directly. The traditional 網 adds 糸 (silk thread) for the material and 亡 as a phonetic hint for the wǎng sound.