源泉
yuán quán · HSK 7
water source
⛲💧 源 source + 泉 spring = the spring that is the source; a wellspring
源 means source or origin; 泉 means a natural spring. Together they name the spot where water first wells up from the ground, and by extension the origin of anything.
泉 — white 白 above water 水
泉 is a pictograph showing a spring: water (水) flowing out from an opening in a rock, with 白 on top representing the mouth of the spring. The original oracle bone form depicted water streaming from a hollow. Its core meaning, 'spring' or 'fountain,' has remained stable since ancient times.