电车
diàn chē · HSK 6
trolleybus
🚎 电车 = 电 (electric) + 车 (vehicle) — an electric vehicle on wires
电 means electricity (the bottom 电 once depicted lightning); 车 is any wheeled vehicle. Together: an electrically powered streetcar or trolleybus that draws current from overhead wires.
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.
车 — pictograph of a chariot/cart
车 is a pictograph originally drawn as a top-down view of a chariot, showing the axle, wheels, and carriage box. The ancient form 車 clearly depicted two wheels connected by an axle. It still means vehicle, cart, or car today.