耿直
gěng zhí · HSK 7
honest
耿直 = bright/upright + straight = candidly honest
耿 carries a sense of brightness and uprightness (the 火 fire radical hints at illumination); 直 means straight or upright. Together the compound describes someone whose character is plainly straight — honest and frank without bending.
直 — 十 ten + 目 eye + 乚 hidden line
Originally depicted an eye (目) looking straight along a vertical line, suggesting a direct, unswerving gaze. The form combines 目 'eye' with strokes indicating straightness. From this came the meanings 'straight,' 'upright,' and by extension 'honest' or 'direct.'