狂欢节
kuáng huān jié · HSK 7
carnival
🎭🎉 狂 wild + 欢 joy + 节 festival = a wild-joy festival, a carnival
狂欢 (kuáng huān) pairs 狂 wild/frenzied with 欢 merry to mean revelry; add 节 jié festival and you get the festival of wild revelry. Sound hook: jié rhymes with the -et in cabaret, another wild party.
狂 — dog radical 犭+ king 王
Originally written with 犬 (dog) as the semantic component and 㞷 as the phonetic, depicting a wildly running dog. The meaning extended from 'mad dog' to 'crazy, wild, unrestrained' in general. The modern form simplifies the right side to 王.
节 — bamboo radical 竹 (⺮) + 即
Originally written 節, depicting a bamboo joint — the segmented node where a stalk divides. The bamboo radical ⺮ gives the meaning, while 即 supplies the sound. From 'bamboo joint' the meaning expanded to any segment, hence 'section,' 'festival' (a marked point in the year), and 'restraint' (knowing where to stop).