礼貌
lǐmào · HSK 5
politeness
🙇 礼 = ceremony/etiquette + 貌 = appearance; 'ceremonial appearance' = manners
礼 covers ritual, ceremony, and proper conduct (think 礼物 = gift); 貌 means outward appearance or look. Together: the outward form of proper conduct — courtesy and politeness.
礼 — 示 (altar/ritual) + 乚 (simplified from 豊)
Originally 禮, showing 示 (altar) beside 豊 (a ritual vessel of grain), depicting offerings made at a shrine. The character meant religious ceremony, then broadened to social rites, courtesy, and gifts. The simplified form 礼 keeps 示 and replaces 豊 with the abbreviated 乚.