清洗
qīng xǐ · HSK 6
to clean
🧼💧 清 clear/pure + 洗 wash = a pure wash, to clean thoroughly
Both characters carry water radicals (氵), reinforcing the liquid connection. 清 means clear or pure, 洗 means to wash. Together they emphasize a thorough, purifying clean — scrubbing something until it is spotless.
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.
洗 — water radical 氵 + 先 (xiān)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The water radical 氵 indicates the meaning (washing with water), while 先 supplies the sound, originally close to xiǎn/xǐ. The character has long meant 'to wash' or 'rinse,' and by extension 'to cleanse' or 'wash away.'