耕地
gēng dì · HSK 7
to plow land
🚜🌾 耕 = plow + 地 = land; together: land that gets plowed
耕 (gēng) means to plow or till; 地 (dì) means earth or land. The compound covers both the noun (farmland fit for plowing) and the verb (to plow land). The 耒 radical in 耕 is an ancient plow tool.
耕 — plow 耒 + well 井
耕 is a semantic compound. The left side 耒 depicts an ancient wooden plow, and the right side 井 (a well, also suggesting the grid of a 'well-field' land system) hints at cultivated fields. Together they mean to plow or till the land for farming.
地 — earth 土 + 也 (phonetic)
地 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left component 土 means 'earth' or 'soil' and gives the meaning, while 也 on the right hints at the pronunciation. Originally referring to the ground or land, it broadened to mean 'place,' 'region,' and 'territory.'