越
yuè · HSK 2
~A~B) the more A the more B
越 = 走 (walk) + 戉 (axe); to stride over, hence 'the more...the more'
In 越A越B, 越 marks a rising scale on both sides: as A increases, B increases. Etymology: stepping past a boundary, extended to 'exceed' and the comparative 'more and more'.
越 — 走 (run) + 戉 (axe, phonetic)
Originally a phono-semantic compound: 走 ('to run, go') gives the meaning of crossing or passing over, while 戉 (an ancient axe) supplies the sound. From 'to stride across' it extended to 'exceed, surpass,' and was later borrowed as the name of the ancient Yue state and people in southern China.