贺卡
hè kǎ · HSK 5
greeting card
💌 贺卡 = 贺 (congratulate) + 卡 (card)
贺 means to congratulate or offer good wishes; 卡 is a loanword from English card (sounds like kǎ). Together: a card sent to congratulate, i.e. a greeting card.
卡 — 上 (up) + 下 (down)
卡 is a modern compound formed by stacking 上 'up' on 下 'down', visually depicting something stuck between two positions — neither up nor down. From this 'wedged' image come its core meanings: to block, to get stuck, and a checkpoint or card. The reading kǎ also transcribes foreign words like 'card', while qiǎ keeps the older 'pinch/stuck' sense.