酒精
jiǔjīng · HSK 7
ethanol
🍶 酒 (alcohol/wine) + 精 (essence/refined) = the refined essence of wine, ethanol
酒 means alcohol or wine; 精 means essence or something refined and concentrated. Together they name the pure refined part of alcohol: ethanol, the spirit of wine. The same 精 shows up in words for concentrated or purified things.
酒 — water 氵 + 酉 (wine vessel)
酒 combines 氵 (water) with 酉, an ancient pictograph of a wine jar with a narrow neck. 酉 alone originally meant fermented liquor, but as it was borrowed for the tenth earthly branch, the water radical was added to keep the 'alcoholic drink' meaning clear.
精 — rice 米 + blue/green 青 (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 米 (rice) gives the meaning, while 青 supplies the sound. Originally referred to polished, refined rice — grain with the husk removed. The sense broadened to 'refined, pure, essence,' and later 'fine, skilled, spirit.'