项目
xiàngmù · HSK 4
item
📋 项 = neck/item + 目 = eye/category → an itemized entry
项 originally meant the nape of the neck, then extended to a discrete item in a list. 目 means eye but also category or heading. Together: an item listed under a heading — hence project, item, or entry.
项 — 工 (gōng, phonetic) + 頁/页 (head)
项 originally meant the nape or back of the neck, with 頁 (head) giving the meaning and 工 supplying the sound. Over time it broadened to mean 'item' or 'category,' as in 项目 (project/item), while the original neck sense survives in compounds like 颈项.
xiàng mù · HSK 4
project
📋 项 = item/clause + 目 = eye/item; literally itemized items, a project's scope
项 originally meant the nape/neck, later extended to mean an item or clause. 目 means eye but also item or category. Together 项目 names the discrete items that make up a project's scope or list.
项 — 工 (gōng, phonetic) + 頁/页 (head)
项 originally meant the nape or back of the neck, with 頁 (head) giving the meaning and 工 supplying the sound. Over time it broadened to mean 'item' or 'category,' as in 项目 (project/item), while the original neck sense survives in compounds like 颈项.