谜底
mí dǐ · HSK 7
answer to a riddle
🧩 谜 riddle + 底 bottom = the bottom of the riddle, i.e. its answer
底 means bottom or base, so the 谜底 is what lies at the bottom of a 谜 (riddle): the solution. Pairs with 谜面, the riddle's surface or wording.
谜 — speech radical 讠 + 迷 mí (lost/confused)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The speech radical 讠 signals meaning related to words, while 迷 supplies the sound mí and the sense of being lost or puzzled. Together they form 谜, 'riddle' — words designed to bewilder the listener.
底 — 广 (shelter radical) + 氐 (phonetic 'dǐ')
底 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 广 radical depicts a roofed structure or shelter, suggesting the bottom or base of a building. The component 氐 supplies the sound 'dǐ' and originally meant 'low' or 'base,' reinforcing the meaning. Together they convey 'bottom,' 'foundation,' or 'underneath.'