转化
zhuǎn huà · HSK 5
to change
🔄 转 = turn/rotate + 化 = change/transform → turn-and-change = transform
转 carries the sense of rotating or shifting direction; 化 is the classic morpheme for change (also in 变化, 文化). Together they name a directed transformation, including chemical isomerization where one form rotates into another.
转 — car radical 车 + 专 (phonetic)
转 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 车 (cart/wheel) gives the meaning, evoking something that turns or rotates like a wheel. The right side 专 supplies the sound. Originally referring to the turning of a cart's wheels, it broadened to mean 'turn,' 'rotate,' or 'shift' in general.
化 — person 亻 + spoon/upside-down person 匕
化 is an associative compound showing a standing person 亻 next to 匕, originally a depiction of a person turned upside-down. Together they suggest a figure transforming from one state to another, giving the core meaning 'change' or 'transform'. The character later extended to senses like 'convert', 'influence', and the noun suffix '-ization'.