百合
bǎi hé · HSK 7
lily
🌸 百 (hundred) + 合 (together) = a hundred petals joined together = lily
The name literally means 'hundred joined' — referring to the many overlapping scales of a lily bulb layered tightly together. The sound 'bǎi hé' also echoes 'buy her' flowers.
百 — 一 (one) on top of 白 (white)
百 means 'hundred.' It combines 一 (one) above 白 (white), where 白 here is borrowed for its sound rather than its meaning. Some scholars see it as derived from an early form of 白 with an added stroke to mark the new numerical sense.
合 — 乛 (lid/roof) + 口 (mouth)
Originally a pictograph of a lidded vessel — a cover (亼) closing over an opening (口) — giving the core sense of 'come together, join, fit.' From 'fit/match' it extended to 'combine, unite, agree' and to measure-word uses. The reading hé reflects this 'joining' meaning.