累积
lěijī · HSK 7
accumulate
🧱 累 pile up + 积 amass = both halves mean gather, doubled for accumulate
累 leads with the pile-up idea and 积 adds the amass idea, so 累积 stacks two synonyms for build-up. Sound hook: lěijī starts like lay-jee, as in you lay brick on brick and the count keeps rising.
累 — field 田 on top + silk 糸 below
Originally written with multiple 田 stacked, depicting piled-up fields or bundles, suggesting accumulation. Later simplified to one 田 over 糸 (silk threads), reinforcing the idea of threads tied together in heaps. From 'pile up' came the senses 'burden,' 'tired,' and 'involve.'
积 — grain radical 禾 + 责 (phonetic)
积 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 禾 (grain) gives the meaning, while 责 supplies the sound. It originally referred to piling up harvested grain, which extended to the general sense of 'accumulate' or 'amass'. The simplified form replaced the older 積.