透彻
toù chè · HSK 7
thorough
🔍💧 透彻 = 透 soak-through + 彻 all-the-way = an analysis that soaks all the way through
透 means to penetrate or pass through (like water soaking a cloth), and 彻 means thorough or complete. Together they describe understanding that goes all the way down — clear, deep, incisive.
透 — walk radical 辶 + 秀 (xiù, elegant/phonetic)
透 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The walk radical 辶 suggests movement or passing through, while 秀 supplies the sound. The original sense was 'to pass through' or 'penetrate,' which extended to meanings like 'thoroughly,' 'transparent,' and 'leak through.'