盈利
yíng lì · HSK 7
profit
💰📈 盈 = surplus/overflow + 利 = profit/benefit; literally a surplus of gains
利 is the profit half you also see in 利益 (benefit); 盈 means full or brimming over, as in 盈余 (a surplus). Put them together and 盈利 is the brimming-over profit a business books once revenue beats costs.
利 — grain 禾 + knife 刂
Originally a pictograph showing a knife (刂) cutting grain (禾), depicting harvest. From the idea of a sharp blade reaping crops, it extended to mean 'sharp,' then 'benefit,' 'profit,' or 'advantage' — the gain that comes from a successful harvest.