青
qīng · HSK 5
green
🌿 qīng = nature's hue: young plants green, deep sky blue, dark hair black
青 covers the whole green-blue-black range of natural color: spring shoots, ocean water, raven hair. The top 生 (growth) over 丹 (well/mineral) hints at fresh growth from the earth.
青 — 生 (growth/sprout) on top + 丹 (well/cinnabar) below
青 originally depicted young plants (生) growing above a mineral pit (丹, cinnabar well), suggesting the fresh blue-green color of new growth and natural pigments. Over time it came to cover a range of cool colors—green, blue, and even black—and by extension means 'young' or 'youthful.'