高兴
gāo xìng · HSK 1
happy
😊 高 = tall/high + 兴 = rise/mood; high spirits = happy
高 means high or tall, and 兴 means to rise or stir up feeling. Together they describe a mood that is lifted up — spirits running high, hence happy or glad.
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.'