道路
dàolù · HSK 2
road
🛣️ 道 = way/path + 路 = road; together: a road/path
道 means 'way' (also Tao/Dao, the philosophical path); 路 means 'road' or 'route'. The compound 道路 stacks two near-synonyms to mean a physical road, path, or track.
道 — 辶 (walk) + 首 (head)
Originally a compound of 辶 'walk/movement' and 首 'head', depicting a path one walks while looking ahead. The literal sense 'road, way' extended metaphorically to 'method, doctrine, the Way (Dao)'. This philosophical meaning became central in Daoist and Confucian thought.
路 — foot 足 + each 各 (phonetic)
路 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The foot radical 足 on the left signals meaning related to walking or travel, while 各 on the right hints at the ancient pronunciation. Originally referring to a road traveled on foot, it broadened to mean 'road, path, route' in general.