险
xiǎn · HSK 6
danger
⚠️🏔️ 阝(hill) + 佥(all) = a cliff where everyone faces danger
The left radical 阝marks steep terrain. 佥 (all/everyone) supplies the xiǎn sound and suggests universal peril — a slope so sheer that no one is safe.
险 — 阝(阜, mound) + 佥 (qiān, all/together)
Originally written 險 in traditional form, this is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 阝 (mound/hill) radical signals the original meaning of steep, dangerous terrain, while 佥 provided the sound. From rugged cliffs the meaning extended metaphorically to 'danger' and 'risk' in general.