稳重
wěn zhòng · HSK 7
steady
⚓ 稳 steady + 重 heavy = a heavy person is hard to push around: composed and dependable
稳 means stable and 重 means heavy or weighty. Someone 稳重 carries weight in both senses: not flighty, not easily shaken, earnest and measured in how they act.
稳 — grain 禾 + claw 爫 + work 工 + heart 心 (爫+工+心 = 急/隐 phonetic 㥯)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The grain radical 禾 on the left suggests grain being steady and balanced on a scale, while the right side 㥯 (claw over work over heart) supplies the sound. Originally written 穩, it conveyed the idea of grain settled firmly, extended to mean 'stable, steady, calm.'
重 — person 人 + east 東 (phonetic)
Originally depicted a person carrying a heavy bundle on their back, suggesting weight and burden. The 東-like element served as a phonetic component. Over time the character split into two readings: zhòng meaning 'heavy' and chóng meaning 'repeat/again'.