生态
shēngtài · HSK 7
ecosystem
🌱 生态 = 生 life/grow + 态 state = the state of living things = ecology
生 means life or to grow; 态 means a state or condition. Put together, 生态 is the state of living things and their surroundings — an ecosystem or ecology.
生 — sprout 屮 above earth 土
Originally a pictograph showing a young plant sprouting from the ground, with 屮 (a sprout) above 土 (earth). The core meaning is 'to be born, to grow, to live,' which extends to 'raw, unripe, unfamiliar.' The modern form has simplified the sprout shape but preserves the image of new growth emerging from soil.