缩影
suō yǐng · HSK 7
microcosm
🔬 缩 shrink + 影 shadow/image = a shrunk-down image: a microcosm or epitome
缩 (suō) means to shrink or contract; 影 (yǐng) means shadow or image. Together: a scaled-down reflection of something larger, hence a miniature version, microcosm, or epitome. The Taiwan sense of microfilm also fits: shrinking images down.
缩 — silk radical 糹 + 宿 (lodge, phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The silk radical 糹 carries the meaning, since shrinking and tightening were associated with drawing in cords or fabric. The right side 宿 (sù) supplies the sound. The original sense of binding cloth tight extended to the modern meaning 'to shrink' or 'contract.'