登山
dēngshān · HSK 4
engage in mountain-climbing
⛰️ 登山 = 登 climb/ascend + 山 mountain
登 means to climb or ascend (also used for boarding, as in 登机 board a plane). 山 is the pictograph of three peaks. Together: ascend-mountain = mountaineering.
登 — 癶 (two feet ascending) + 豆 (ritual vessel)
Originally a pictograph showing two feet (癶) climbing up to present a ritual vessel (豆) on a raised platform. The core meaning was 'to ascend' or 'mount,' as when stepping up to make an offering. From this it broadened to 'rise, climb, record, publish.'
山 — pictograph of three mountain peaks
山 is one of the oldest pictographs in Chinese, originally drawn in oracle bone script as three pointed peaks rising from a baseline. The form was simplified over time into the modern three vertical strokes on a base. Its meaning has stayed remarkably stable: 'mountain' or 'hill'.