清单
qīng dān · HSK 7
list of items
📋 清单 = 清 clear + 单 sheet = a clear written sheet, i.e. a list
单 dān by itself means a single sheet or bill (as in 菜单 menu, 账单 bill). Pair it with 清 qīng meaning clear or itemized, and 清单 is a clearly laid-out sheet of items: a list.
清 — water 氵 + 青 (azure/blue-green, phonetic)
清 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The water radical 氵 gives the meaning—originally clear, unmuddied water—while 青 (qīng, azure) supplies the sound and reinforces the image of pure blue-green water. The sense later broadened from 'clear water' to 'clear, pure, clean' in general.
单 — 叩 (two mouths 口) over 甲 (shield/armor)
Originally a pictograph of a forked hunting weapon or shield with two prongs at the top. The ancient form shows a Y-shaped tool, later stylized into the modern shape. The meaning shifted from the weapon to 'single' or 'one,' possibly because it was a single-handed tool.