转机
zhuǎnjī · HSK 7
turn for better
🔄 转 turn + 机 opportunity = a turning-point that swings things for the better
转 means turn or rotate; 机 means chance or opportunity (same 机 as in 机会). Together they name the moment a bad situation rotates toward a good one — a favorable turn. The same word can also mean a connecting flight, another kind of switch.
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.