熬
āo , áo · HSK 7
to boil
🍲 Sounds like OW — you yelp when the slow-boiling pot finally splashes you
The character 熬 has fire (灬) at the bottom, literally cooking something above it. Think of standing over a simmering pot for hours until — ow! — hot broth splashes your hand.
熬 — 敖 (phonetic) + 灬 (fire)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The bottom 灬 is a form of 火 (fire), giving the meaning of cooking by simmering or boiling down over heat. The top 敖 supplies the sound. From 'simmer slowly' came the extended sense of 'endure' or 'hold out through hardship.'