早日
zǎorì · HSK 7
soon
🌅 早日 = 早 early + 日 day = an early day, i.e. soon
早 means early and 日 means day or sun, so 早日 literally stacks early-day into the sense of at an early date or soon. Common in well-wishes like 早日康复, a wish to recover soon.
早 — sun 日 + ten 十 (originally 甲, a helmet/sprout)
Originally depicted the sun 日 rising above a sprouting plant or a person's head, suggesting the early morning when the sun first appears. The lower component was simplified over time into 十. The core meaning 'morning, early' has remained stable since oracle bone script.
日 — pictograph of the sun
日 is a pictograph of the sun, originally drawn as a circle with a dot or stroke inside representing the sun's substance. Over time the round shape was squared off into the modern rectangular form. It means 'sun' and by extension 'day'.