遥远
yáoyuǎn · HSK 7
distant
🛰️ 遥 far + 远 far = two far-words doubled up, so it means really faraway
Both 遥 and 远 already mean far or distant; 遥远 stacks them so the distance reads as extreme. Pronunciation yáoyuǎn even rhymes with itself, a yáo-yuǎn echo that trails off like something receding.
远 — 辶 (walk) + 袁 (phonetic)
远 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 辶 radical (a walking/movement element) carries the meaning of going or distance, while 袁 (yuán) provides the sound. The traditional form 遠 shows this structure clearly; together they convey 'far' — a place reached by long travel.