起码
qǐmǎ · HSK 5
at least
🐴 起码 = qǐ (rise/start) + 马 (horse); start + horse → bare minimum
起 means to rise or start; 马 is horse. The compound 起码 means at least or bare minimum — the starting baseline. Etymology link: think of mounting a horse as the minimum step before any journey can begin.
起 — 走 (run) + 己 (self/phonetic)
起 combines 走 'run/walk' as the meaning component with 己 as the phonetic component. The 走 element suggests movement of the body, giving the core sense of rising up or starting to move. From there it extended to meanings like 'get up,' 'begin,' and 'arise.'
码 — stone radical 石 + 马 (mǎ, horse, phonetic)
码 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The stone radical 石 hints at the original meaning: a small stone or weight used for counting or measuring. 马 supplies the sound mǎ. Over time the meaning broadened to 'numeral, code, yard (unit),' as in 号码 (number) and 密码 (password).