演绎
yǎn yì · HSK 7
to unfold
🎭 演 = perform + 绎 = draw out a thread, so a story gets drawn out and acted on stage
演 means to perform or develop; 绎 originally meant unraveling silk from a cocoon, i.e. drawing a thread out to its full length. Together they mean letting something unfold or enacting it step by step, like a plot played out scene by scene.
演 — water 氵 + 寅 (yín, phonetic)
演 is a semantic-phonetic compound: the water radical 氵 gives the meaning, originally referring to water flowing far and spreading out, while 寅 supplies the sound. From 'water extending' it broadened to 'develop, elaborate, perform,' as in unfolding a story or acting out a play.