钞票
chāopiào · HSK 7
paper money
💵 chao sounds like 'chow' — you chow down after getting your paper money
钞 (chāo) means paper money, 票 (piào) means ticket or slip. Together: a money-slip, i.e. a banknote. Think of it as your 'chow ticket' — the bill you need before you can eat.
票 — fire 火 (bottom) + 覀 (cover/west)
Originally written with 火 (fire) below 覀, depicting sparks or embers rising from a fire. The early meaning was 'flying sparks' or 'light, floating thing.' Over time it shifted to mean a slip of paper, ticket, or note — something light and easily passed around.