简化
jiǎnhuà · HSK 7
simplify
✂️ 简 (simple) + 化 (-ify, transform) = simple-ify = simplify
简 means simple or brief; 化 is the verb-forming suffix that turns a quality into a process, like English -ify or -ize. Together they literally build simple + -ify, the act of making something simpler.
化 — person 亻 + spoon/upside-down person 匕
化 is an associative compound showing a standing person 亻 next to 匕, originally a depiction of a person turned upside-down. Together they suggest a figure transforming from one state to another, giving the core meaning 'change' or 'transform'. The character later extended to senses like 'convert', 'influence', and the noun suffix '-ization'.