零
líng · HSK 1
zero
0️⃣ 雨 (rain) + 令 (order); 令 gives the líng sound
零 originally meant tiny raindrops or fragments — the 雨 radical on top shows rain, while 令 below supplies the líng reading. The 'zero' sense grew from 'a tiny leftover bit, almost nothing'.
零 — rain 雨 + order 令 (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 雨 (rain) gives the meaning and 令 supplies the sound. It originally meant scattered drops of falling rain, then extended to 'fragmentary, leftover bits,' and in modern Chinese came to mean 'zero.'