科研
kē yán · HSK 6
(scientific) research
🔬🧪 科 science + 研 grind = grinding away at science
研 originally meant grinding stones smooth — it extended to grinding through a topic until you master it. 科研 is doing that grind in a scientific field.
科 — grain 禾 + measure 斗
科 combines 禾 (grain) and 斗 (a dipper/measure), originally depicting the act of measuring or grading grain. From this, it extended to mean classification, category, and branch of study. Today it commonly appears in words for science (科学) and academic disciplines.