进展
jìnzhǎn · HSK 3
progress
📈 进 = advance + 展 = unfold; advance-unfold = progress
进 means to advance or enter, and 展 means to unfold or develop. Together they describe forward movement that opens up — progress. Compare 发展 (develop) which shares 展.
进 — walk radical 辶 + well 井
Originally a semantic-phonetic compound: the walking radical 辶 gives the meaning of movement, while 井 (jǐng, 'well') supplied the sound. The traditional form 進 used 隹 (short-tailed bird) suggesting forward flight; the simplified 进 swapped 隹 for the simpler phonetic 井. The core meaning 'to advance, enter' has stayed stable.