显赫
xiǎn hè · HSK 7
illustrious
🌟 显赫 = 显 visible/prominent + 赫 blazing-bright = standing out so brightly everyone knows your name
显 means to show or be visible; 赫 is built from two 赤 (red) and means glowing red-bright or awe-inspiring. Together they describe someone whose fame and status are conspicuous and dazzling: illustrious, celebrated.
显 — sun 日 + head/page 頁 (simplified from 顯)
Originally 顯, showing a head 頁 looking at silk threads under the sun 日, suggesting things made visible or apparent. The meaning extended from 'clearly seen' to 'manifest, evident, prominent.' Simplified to 显 by reducing the silk-and-head element to a small mark beneath 日.