经济
jīngjì · HSK 3
economy
💰📊 经 (manage/classics) + 济 (aid/cross river) = managing resources to help society
经 originally meant the warp threads of a loom, then 'to regulate'; 济 meant 'to ford a river', then 'to aid'. Together: regulating and aiding the flow of resources — i.e. economy.
经 — silk radical 纟 + 巠 (underground stream)
Originally written 經, combining the silk radical 糸 with 巠, depicting vertical threads on a loom. The core meaning was 'warp threads,' which extended to 'pass through,' 'classic text,' and 'manage.' The phonetic 巠 also suggests the sound.