精髓
jīng suǐ · HSK 7
essence
🦴 精 (refined essence) + 髓 (bone marrow) = the marrow, the very core of a thing
精 means refined or essence; 髓 means bone marrow, the deep inner part. Together they mean the marrow or pith of something: its quintessence, the concentrated core left after everything else is stripped away.
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.'