杂技
zá jì · HSK 7
acrobatics
🤸🎪 杂 mixed + 技 skill = a mix of skills = acrobatics
杂 means miscellaneous or mixed, and 技 means skill or technique. An acrobat blends many mixed skills into one act. Sound: za-ji, two short clipped syllables like two quick tumbles.
杂 — 九 (nine) + 木 (tree) — simplified from 雜
Simplified from 雜, which combined 衣 (clothing) with 集 (gather), suggesting clothes of mixed colors gathered together. The original sense was 'mixed, varied,' extended to 'miscellaneous' and 'jumbled.' Modern 杂 keeps the meaning but uses a simpler shape.