灵敏
líng mǐn · HSK 7
keen
🦊 灵 = nimble/quick-witted + 敏 = sharp/keen; two fast-reacting words stacked
Both halves carry the sense of reacting fast: 灵 is nimble and quick of mind, 敏 is agile and acute. Doubling them gives smart, alert, and finely sensitive, like a sharp-eared animal that reacts to the faintest signal.
灵 — rain 雨 + mouths 口口口 + shaman 巫
Originally written 靈, depicting shamans (巫) using mouths (口口口) to chant prayers for rain (雨). The character meant a spirit medium who could summon rain, then broadened to mean spirit, soul, or supernatural efficacy. The simplified form 灵 replaces the lower portion with 火 (fire) over 彐.
敏 — every 每 + tap/strike 攵
敏 combines 每 (every, originally a woman with hair ornament) with 攵 (a hand holding a stick, indicating action). The original sense suggested quick, diligent action — responding swiftly to every task. It came to mean 'quick, agile, sharp' in both physical and mental senses.