透气
toù qì · HSK 7
to take a breath of fresh air
🌬️ 透 = pass through + 气 = air = air passes through, ventilate
透 means to pass through or penetrate; 气 is air or breath. Air passing through fabric or a room is what makes it breathable and well-ventilated.
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.'
气 — steam/vapor radical 气
Originally a pictograph of rising vapor or clouds drifting in the sky, depicting curling streams of air. The character came to mean breath, air, and by extension vital energy or 'qi.' The simplified form 气 keeps the original outline; the traditional 氣 added 米 (rice) to suggest steam rising from cooking grain.