泉
quán · HSK 5
spring
⛲ 泉 = 白 (white) on top + 水 (water) below — white water = a spring
Etymology: the character shows water flowing out from a source, with 白 above 水. A spring's water looks clean and white as it emerges from the ground. Modern meaning extends to fountains and (archaically) coins, since old coins were cast at spring-mints.
泉 — white 白 above water 水
泉 is a pictograph showing a spring: water (水) flowing out from an opening in a rock, with 白 on top representing the mouth of the spring. The original oracle bone form depicted water streaming from a hollow. Its core meaning, 'spring' or 'fountain,' has remained stable since ancient times.