神秘
shénmì · HSK 4
mysterious
🔮 神秘 = 神 (spirit/god) + 秘 (secret) — divine secret
神 means spirit or deity; 秘 means secret or hidden. Together they describe something with the quality of a hidden, divine secret — i.e. mysterious or mystical. The 礻radical in 神 marks ritual/spirit words.
神 — 示 (altar/spirit) + 申 (lightning, phonetic)
神 combines 示, depicting an altar associated with rituals and spirits, with 申, originally a pictograph of lightning streaking across the sky. Ancient people saw lightning as a manifestation of divine power, so 申 contributes both sound and the idea of awe-inspiring force. Together they mean 'spirit' or 'god'.