档案
dǎngàn · HSK 6
file
📁 档案 = files/records (档) + case/dossier (案)
档 originally meant a wooden filing rack or shelf; 案 means a case, table, or legal file. Together they form the modern word for archives, dossiers, or records — the kind kept in folders or filing cabinets.
档 — wood radical 木 + 当 (dāng) phonetic
档 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 木 ('wood') signals the meaning, since the original referent was a wooden shelf or rack for storing files. 当 supplies the sound. From 'wooden file rack' the meaning extended to 'archive,' 'file,' and 'grade/category.'