颜色
yánsè · HSK 2
color
🎨 颜 = face/countenance + 色 = color; together: the colors a face shows
颜 originally meant face or expression, and 色 meant the look or hue on it. Combined, 颜色 shifted from facial coloring to color in general. The pigment sense follows from the same root: what gives something its visible hue.
色 — person 人 (top) + kneeling figure 卩 (bottom)
Originally a pictograph showing one person above another, traditionally interpreted as depicting facial expressions or intimate posture between two people. The earliest meaning was 'facial expression' or 'countenance,' which extended to 'appearance' and eventually 'color' (the look of things). The 'shǎi' reading is a colloquial variant used for everyday color words.