未经
wèi jīng · HSK 7
not having undergone
🚧 未 = not yet + 经 = pass through; so not yet gone through a process
未 marks not-yet (the negative used for unfinished things), and 经 means to pass through or undergo. Together: not having undergone, as in 未经许可 = without permission.
未 — tree 木 with extra short top stroke
未 originally pictured a tree with luxuriant new branches at the top, suggesting tender shoots not yet matured. From this 'not yet ripe' image it came to mean 'not yet' or 'have not.' It is also the 8th Earthly Branch, used in the traditional sexagenary cycle.
经 — silk radical 纟 + 巠 (underground stream)
Originally written 經, combining the silk radical 糸 with 巠, depicting vertical threads on a loom. The core meaning was 'warp threads,' which extended to 'pass through,' 'classic text,' and 'manage.' The phonetic 巠 also suggests the sound.