精英
jīngyīng · HSK 7
cream
🏅 精 essence + 英 outstanding = the elite, the refined best of a group
精 means refined essence (as in 精华), 英 means outstanding or heroic (as in 英雄). Together: the distilled best people, the elite. Sound: jīng-yīng, two rhyming -ing syllables back to back.
精 — rice 米 + blue/green 青 (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 米 (rice) gives the meaning, while 青 supplies the sound. Originally referred to polished, refined rice — grain with the husk removed. The sense broadened to 'refined, pure, essence,' and later 'fine, skilled, spirit.'