神经
shénjīng · HSK 5
nerve
🧠 神经 = spirit/god (神) + channel/meridian (经) — divine channels of the body
Classical Chinese medicine borrowed 经 (jīng, meridian/channel) from textile warp threads, then paired it with 神 (shén, spirit) for the body's signal-carrying pathways. Modern anatomy reused the term for nerves.
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'.
经 — silk radical 纟 + 巠 (underground stream)
Originally written 經, combining the silk radical 糸 with 巠, depicting vertical threads on a loom. The core meaning was 'warp threads,' which extended to 'pass through,' 'classic text,' and 'manage.' The phonetic 巠 also suggests the sound.