源头
yuán toú · HSK 7
source
🏞️ 源头 = 源 source + 头 head: the head-end of a stream where water starts
源 already means source or spring; 头 means head or end-point. Together they pin down the exact head-end where a river begins, so 源头 is the literal origin or fountainhead of something.
头 — 页 (head/page) + 豆 (bean, phonetic)
The traditional form 頭 combines 頁 (xié), meaning 'head', with 豆 (dòu) as the phonetic component. 頁 itself originally depicted a person with an emphasized head. The simplified form 头 is a modern shorthand that replaces 豆+頁 with a simpler shape while keeping the same meaning of 'head' or 'top'.