热情
rèqíng · HSK 2
enthusiastic
🔥 热 = hot + 情 = feeling; hot feelings = enthusiasm
热 means hot (think 热水 hot water) and 情 means feeling or emotion (as in 感情). Together, hot feelings literally describe an enthusiastic, passionate attitude toward something or someone.
热 — 执 zhí (phonetic) + 灬 fire radical
热 is a semantic-phonetic compound: the bottom 灬 (a variant of 火 'fire') gives the meaning of heat, while 执 on top supplies the sound. Originally written 熱, it depicted fire below a phonetic element, and the meaning naturally extended from physical heat to 'hot' weather and 'enthusiastic' feelings.
情 — heart radical 忄 + 青 (qīng)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The heart radical 忄 signals that the meaning involves feelings or inner states, while 青 supplies the sound 'qing'. Originally referring to genuine feelings or emotion arising from the heart, 情 expanded to cover sentiment, affection, and circumstances or situations more broadly.