流利
liú lì · HSK 2
fluent
💧 流 = flow + 利 = sharp/smooth; speech that flows smoothly
流 means flow (water radical 氵) and 利 means sharp or smooth-running (knife radical 刂 + grain 禾). Together: speech that flows smoothly and sharply — fluent. Same 利 appears in 利益 (benefit) and 锋利 (sharp).
流 — water radical 氵 + 㐬 (phonetic, child being born)
流 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The water radical 氵 gives the meaning, while 㐬 depicts an infant being born head-down with amniotic fluid, suggesting downward flow. Together they convey water flowing, and by extension 'to flow' or 'current'.
利 — grain 禾 + knife 刂
Originally a pictograph showing a knife (刂) cutting grain (禾), depicting harvest. From the idea of a sharp blade reaping crops, it extended to mean 'sharp,' then 'benefit,' 'profit,' or 'advantage' — the gain that comes from a successful harvest.