着想
zhuó xiǎng · HSK 7
to give thought
💭 着 apply + 想 think = direct your thinking toward what others need
着想 pairs 着 (to apply, attach) with 想 (to think), so it literally means applying one's thoughts onto someone else — that is, being considerate. Note the alternate reading zhao1 xiang3.
着 — sheep 羊 (top) + eye 目 (bottom)
着 originated as a variant of 著, which depicted plants emerging visibly above ground (grass radical 艹 over 者). Over time 着 split off to carry meanings like 'attach,' 'wear,' or a verb suffix marking ongoing action (zhe), while 著 kept senses like 'manifest' or 'author.'
想 — heart 心 + 相 (xiāng, phonetic)
想 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The heart radical 心 at the bottom carries the meaning, since classical Chinese located thought and feeling in the heart. The top component 相 (xiāng) supplies the sound, and over time the character settled into the senses 'to think,' 'to want,' and 'to miss.'