目的
mùdì · HSK 2
goal
🎯 目的 = 目 (eye/aim) + 的 (target) — what the eye targets
目 means eye and by extension what one looks at or aims at; 的 here is the archaic noun 'target' (as in 一针见血's bullseye). Together: the thing your sight is fixed on — your objective or goal.
的 — white 白 + ladle 勺
Originally a phono-semantic compound: 白 ('white') gave the meaning of bright or clear, and 勺 supplied the sound. It once meant 'bright' or 'target' (still seen in 目的, 'aim'). In modern Chinese it was borrowed as a grammatical particle marking possession or modification.