清晰
qīngxī · HSK 7
clear
🔍 清 (clear, water radical 氵) + 晰 (日 sun lighting up 析 split-apart detail) = crystal clear
清 qīng carries the water radical 氵 and means clear/clean. 晰 pairs 日 (sun) with 析 (to split/separate), so light makes every separated detail stand out. Together: so clear that sounds and views are sharply distinct.
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.