野生
yěshēng · HSK 6
wild
🌿🦌 野 wild + 生 life = wild-born, untamed by human hands
The first character 野 means field or wilderness, and 生 means life or growth. Together they describe something born in the wild — undomesticated, feral, or a desolate wasteland where only nature rules.
野 — 里 (village) + 予 (phonetic)
Originally written 埜 (forest 林 over earth 土), depicting wild land beyond cultivated fields. The modern form 野 combines 里 (village/settled land) with 予 as a phonetic component, keeping the meaning of open country, wilderness, or untamed.
生 — sprout 屮 above earth 土
Originally a pictograph showing a young plant sprouting from the ground, with 屮 (a sprout) above 土 (earth). The core meaning is 'to be born, to grow, to live,' which extends to 'raw, unripe, unfamiliar.' The modern form has simplified the sprout shape but preserves the image of new growth emerging from soil.