高于
gāo yú · HSK 5
to exceed
📈 高 = tall/high + 于 = than/at; literally 'higher than'
高 means tall or high, and 于 is a classical preposition meaning 'than' or 'at'. Together 高于 marks a comparison where one quantity exceeds another, common in formal or statistical writing.
高 — pictograph of a tall building/tower
高 is a pictograph of a tall structure, likely a watchtower or multi-story gate, with a roof on top, an upper chamber, and a base below. From this concrete image of height it extended to the general meanings 'tall,' 'high,' and figuratively 'lofty' or 'noble.'
于 — two horizontal strokes 二 + vertical hook 亅
于 originated as a pictograph of breath or sound flowing outward, depicting exhalation through a passage. In oracle bone script it resembled a curved line showing motion or extension. Over time it became a grammatical preposition meaning 'at,' 'in,' or 'to,' losing its original concrete sense.