盐
yán · HSK 4
salt
🧂 盐 = 卤 (brine) + 皿 (dish); brine in a vessel = salt
The character 盐 combines 卤 (salty brine, from salt flats) over 皿 (a shallow dish or vessel). Salt was harvested by evaporating brine in dishes, so brine-on-dish literally encodes the production of salt.
盐 — earth 土 + monitor 监 (jiān, phonetic)
盐 is the simplified form of 鹽. The traditional character depicted a vessel (皿) holding salt crystals under supervision (監), reflecting that salt production was historically a state-monitored industry in China. The modern simplified form keeps 监 as the phonetic component and adds 土 (earth) to hint at salt's mineral origin.