电铃
diàn líng · HSK 7
electric bell
🔔⚡ 电 (electric) + 铃 (bell) = electric bell — power meets ring
电 diàn means electricity and 铃 líng means bell or chime. Together they form the literal compound: a bell powered by electricity, like a doorbell or alarm.
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.
铃 — metal radical 钅 + order/command 令
A semantic-phonetic compound: 钅 (metal) signals the meaning, while 令 (lìng) hints at the sound, shifted to líng. Originally referred to small metal bells that ring when shaken, and by extension any bell-like object.