造纸术
zàozhǐshù · HSK 7
Papermaking
📄 造纸术 = make (造) + paper (纸) + technique (术) — the craft of papermaking
造 zào means to make or manufacture, 纸 zhǐ is paper, and 术 shù is a skill or technique. Stacked together they name the ancient Chinese art of making paper, one of the four great inventions.
造 — 辶 (walk) + 告 (tell/announce)
造 combines the walking radical 辶 with 告 (announce), which also gives the sound. Originally it meant 'to go and report to,' then 'to reach' or 'arrive at.' Over time the meaning shifted to 'to make' or 'to build,' the sense most common today.
纸 — silk radical 糹 + clan 氏
纸 means 'paper.' The silk radical 糹 reflects the early use of silk-like fibers in writing materials before true paper existed. 氏 ('clan') serves as the phonetic component, hinting at the sound zhǐ. Paper was traditionally credited to Cai Lun in the Han dynasty.