经验
jīngyàn · HSK 3
experience
经 (pass through) + 验 (test/verify) = what you gain by passing through tests
经 originally meant the warp threads running through a loom, then 'to pass through'. 验 means to test or verify. Experience = things you've passed through and proven.
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.
验 — horse radical 马 + 佥 (all/together)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The horse radical 马 originally referred to inspecting horses, while 佥 (qiān, 'all together') supplied the sound. Over time the meaning broadened from 'examine a horse' to 'test, examine, verify' in general.