理想
lǐxiǎng · HSK 2
ideal
💭 理 = reason/logic + 想 = think; together: the thought one reasons toward — an ideal
理 carries the sense of principle or reason, while 想 means to think or wish. 理想 is literally reasoned-thinking: the well-considered aspiration, not a fleeting daydream. Contrast with 梦想 (dream-wish), which is more fanciful.
理 — jade radical 玉/王 + village 里 (phonetic)
理 is a semantic-phonetic compound: the jade radical 王 (玉) on the left signals meaning, while 里 on the right gives the sound. It originally meant the natural veins or grain in a piece of jade, then extended to 'pattern,' 'order,' 'principle,' and finally the modern senses 'reason' and 'to manage.'
想 — heart 心 + 相 (xiāng, phonetic)
想 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The heart radical 心 at the bottom carries the meaning, since classical Chinese located thought and feeling in the heart. The top component 相 (xiāng) supplies the sound, and over time the character settled into the senses 'to think,' 'to want,' and 'to miss.'