电脑
diànnǎo · HSK 1
computer
💻 电脑 = 电 (electric) + 脑 (brain) — literally electric brain
电 means electricity (rain 雨 over a lightning bolt). 脑 means brain. Together: electric brain = computer. Same compound logic appears in 电话 (electric speech = phone) and 电视 (electric vision = TV).
电 — rain 雨 + lightning tail 电
Originally a pictograph of lightning streaking from a cloud, written 電 with the rain radical 雨 on top. The bottom 电 depicts the zigzag flash itself. The simplified form 电 drops 雨 and keeps just the lightning shape. Meaning extended from 'lightning' to 'electricity' in modern usage.
diàn nǎo · HSK 2
computer
💻 电 (electric) + 脑 (brain) = electric brain = computer
电 means electricity (think 电话 telephone, 电视 television). 脑 means brain. Chinese coined 电脑 as electric-brain for computer, paralleling how early English speakers called them electronic brains.
电 — rain 雨 + lightning tail 电
Originally a pictograph of lightning streaking from a cloud, written 電 with the rain radical 雨 on top. The bottom 电 depicts the zigzag flash itself. The simplified form 电 drops 雨 and keeps just the lightning shape. Meaning extended from 'lightning' to 'electricity' in modern usage.