活期
huó qī · HSK 7
current
🏦💵 活 alive/active + 期 term = an active-access term, money you can pull anytime
活期 contrasts with 定期 (fixed-term deposit): 活 means living or flexible, so the term stays open rather than locked. A 活期 account lets you withdraw on demand.
活 — water radical 氵 + tongue 舌
Originally a phono-semantic compound: 氵 (water) suggests flowing or liveliness, while 舌 (tongue) hints at the sound. Early forms depicted gushing water, conveying the idea of being lively or alive. The meaning broadened from 'flowing water' to 'living, alive, active.'
期 — 其 (phonetic) + 月 (moon/time)
期 is a phono-semantic compound. The right side 月 (moon) signals meaning, since lunar cycles marked fixed time periods in ancient China. The left side 其 supplies the sound. Together it points to a set time, period, or appointed date — meanings still carried today in words like 期间 and 日期.