风俗
fēngsú · HSK 4
custom
🎎 风 (wind) + 俗 (custom) = the winds/trends a society customarily follows
风 means wind, by extension a prevailing trend; 俗 means custom or common practice. Together 风俗 names the customary practices that blow through a community — its mores and public manners.
风 — 几 (table) + 虫 (insect)
Originally written 鳳 (phoenix), later simplified. The traditional form 風 contains 虫 (insect), reflecting an old belief that wind brought insects or that creatures stirred with the wind. The modern simplified 风 keeps 几 as an outer frame around 㐅.
俗 — person radical 亻 + valley 谷
A semantic-phonetic compound: 亻 (person) gives the meaning and 谷 (gǔ/valley) suggests the sound. Originally referred to the customs and habits of common people living in the valleys, later extending to mean 'common,' 'vulgar,' or 'secular' as opposed to refined or religious.